How to Prevent a War
by CrazyJanaCat
Summary: After Voldemort's return in his fourth year, Harry looks desperately for a way to stop the Dark Lord once and for all. With the help of his closest friends and his Godfather, he travels back in time to prevent Tom Riddle from ever becoming Voldemort. Can also be found on Archive, Wattpad and Quotev
1. A New Way Out

Harry was sitting on his bed in number 12 Grimmauld Place, listening to the soft snores of his best friend and roommate as he stared out the window. He couldn't sleep, again, as he kept recalling Cedric's death. A small voice in the back of his head kept on telling him how it was all his fault that the kind Huffelpuff had been murdered by the Dark Lord, no matter how many people told him otherwise.

With a sad sigh, he slipped out of the covers and padded out of the room. There was no way he was going to get any sleep now anyway, so he could just as well make himself useful. Being as quiet as possible, Harry snuck down the stairs towards the library with the idea of research. There had to be something there that could help him take down the newly resurrected Dark Lord, he was sure of that. The Black library was a cluster of dark and light magic after all, and held many books that would belong in Hogwarts' restricted section.

"Let's see what we can find I guess," he muttered as he slipped into the dusty room filled with ancient books and tomes.

Slowly, he let his fingers touch the many ancient tomes lining the bookshelves, fingering the aged leather as he searched through the many dubious titles. He frowned slightly as he let his eyes wander through the large collection of knowledge. In all honesty, he had no idea what he should be looking for. Where did he look for Voldemort's weakness? Was there even such a thing? There had to be. Everyone had a weakness, and so, he would look at every corner of the world to find it. He would not stop until Lord Voldemort was no more.

With renewed determination, Harry grabbed several promising looking books and sat down in one of the heavy chairs in the back of the library. He'd read every single book in there if he had to, but he would find what he was looking for. Of that, he was certain.

. . . . .

Harry was halfway through his fifth book of that night when Sirius walked in. The last of the Black House watched his Godson with curious eyes before he walked over to one of the other bookcases and grabbed three of the oldest books in the room before bringing them over to the boy and dropping them on the coffee table next to the chair.

"You've got more chance to find anything in these," he told the teen.

Harry jumped a bit and stared up at his Godfather, blinking a few times to focus his tired eyes before looking down at the new books. He frowned a bit, but nodded all the same as he put the book he was currently reading away and grabbed one of the ones Sirius had brought. Sirius would indeed have a better idea where to look for the information than Harry did, but he had been reluctant to ask his help. Harry was worried that if he found something, it would be deemed too dangerous by his guardian and he would be forbidden to act.

"Couldn't sleep?" the ex-convict asked.

Harry shook his head and looked at his Godfather with a pained, guilt ridden expression.

"I keep dreaming about Cedric."

Sirius nodded in understanding. He was about to say that it wasn't Harry's fault the boy had died, but he was aware that it wouldn't help the green eyed boy in the slightest. Harry would always blame himself for the actions of Voldemort, simply because he had survived while others had not. Only 15 years old and already heavy on the hero-complex and years of survivors guilt.

With a sigh Sirius sat down in the chair next to Harry and grabbed another book from the small table in between them. Harry looked up at him again, and Sirius gave a tired smile that made him seem years older than he actually was. Azkaban had not been kind to him.

"So," the older man said, grinning.  
"What exactly are we looking for here?"

Harry gave a small smile in return and chuckled. He was so lucky to have Sirius with him. Honestly, he wouldn't know what to do if he ever lost his only link to his parents, the only true family he had left.

. . . . .

"You look tired sweetheart," Mrs. Weasley noted during breakfast.

Harry looked up from where he was poking his eggs and bacon to notice everyone at the table, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Tonks, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the twins, were all staring at him with concerned expressions. He sighed and tried to give the Weasley matriarch a believable smile, but it ended more in a grimace that only seemed to worry the woman more.

"I just had a bad night's sleep," he mumbled quietly.

"That's understandable Harry," Fred said, an understanding smile on his lips.

"Yeah! Even we could hear Ron snoring!" George snickered.

"Hey! I did not… I-I didn't, right Harry?"

The Weasley twins howled out in laughter at the nervous reply of their younger brother, and even Harry couldn't help but chuckle at his best friend's flustered expression. Feeling a bit cheered up, Harry finally took a bite of his food, much to the relief of Mrs. Weasley.

While more cheerful conversation started flowing around the table, Mrs. Weasley looked at the empty seat at the head before glaring towards the hallway. Harry noticed her look and looked away from where he was listening to Hermione explaining the importance of studying for the O.W.L.'s in their coming year at Hogwarts.

"Sirius still hasn't come out of the library," Mrs. Weasley grumbled before she turned to Harry.  
"What were you two doing there so early anyway? and with all those Dark Magic books no less!"

"Research," Harry replied dismissively.

He knew they wanted to know more than that, but he didn't feel like telling them. Why should he anyway? they had all kept him in the dark for the entire summer about the Order! Let them know how it felt to be left out for once. His friends had felt bad about it of course, and they had apologized several times already, but they all had their mind full with the oncoming trial and worried enough about him already. He'd have to do this with just Sirius as help. Not that he was complaining or anything, it gave him the perfect opportunity to spent time with his Godfather and get to know him.

"Well," Remus said slowly.  
"Whatever it is you're researching, I hope you find it."

"So do I," Harry mumbled in reply.

As silence fell over the table once more, the green eyed teen stood up from his seat, his half-empty plate completely forgotten. He had wasted enough time already and he needed, desperately so, to find a way to stop Voldemort. He wanted to leave the room, but a tug on his arm had him pause. Looking at whoever had grabbed him, he found Hermione looking at him with a worried expression.

"We can help you," she spoke softly.

"All you have to do is ask, mate," Ron added smiling.

Harry smiled at his two best friends and nodded. With a nudge from his head towards the hall, both other teens stood up as well and excused themselves from the table to follow their friend. The trio quickly made their way over towards the library, where Sirius was still buried in a large mountain of books. When they entered, the older man looked up and smiled. Silently, he motioned towards the smaller stack of books, indicating those hadn't been read yet and Harry quickly set to work while Ron and Hermione looked through the titles.

"So, uh, what are we looking for exactly?" Ron asked.

"Anything that can help us take Voldemort down," Harry replied.

"Can you be a bit more specific?" Hermione asked him with a raised brow.

"Not really," the Boy-Who-Lived shrugged.

"We're looking without much to go on here," Sirius explained.  
"A spell, a ritual, a potion,… Maybe even some information hinting towards a possible weakness of the Dark Lord would be a great help. Some alternative to war. Preferably in a way that won't cost any more lives I'd say."

Hermione and Ron frowned, but they still nodded. Both picked a book from the stack and set themselves in the couch across from the chairs Harry and Sirius were occupying. In silence, the four of them set to reading the heavy old tomes in hopes to find some piece of undefined information.

. . . . .

Harry rubbed his eyes and closed yet another book with a deep sigh. They had been looking for a whole week already and still nothing useful had been found. Looking up at the couch where his two friends were still sitting, he noticed Ron had fallen asleep. It wasn't that surprising really, Harry noted with a glance at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, it was already past 1 am. Hermione was still focused, determined to help Harry find whatever it was they'd need to stop Voldemort. If Harry was being honest with himself, he had to admit that he was losing faith in a peaceful way out, or any way that didn't involve a near impossible to win battle between Light and Dark.

A knock startled Harry out of his musings and he looked up just in time to see Ginny walk into the library. She was frowning as she approached. Ron, who had woken with the knocking, sat up slowly and looked at his sister tiredly.

"Gin?" he asked, voice heavy with sleep.

"Mum wanted me to come get you guys," the redhead witch told them.  
"She says you all still need to sleep every now and then."

Hermione looked up as well and smiled at the younger girl, gently closing the ancient book she was reading and setting it on the ever growing 'read' mountain.

"You're right," she told her.  
"We won't get anywhere if we don't rest enough."

"Works for me," Ron muttered.

He and Hermione slowly rose from the couch and looked at Harry, who was still deep in thought with a thick leather book in his lap. The frown on Ginny's face deepened as she walked up to the Wizarding World's only hope and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ok Harry?" she asked in a whisper.

"M'fine Ginny," Harry replied dismissively.  
"You guys go on ahead, I'll just be a minute, promise."

The younger redhead didn't seem like she was going to leave it at that, but Ron quickly grabbed her arm and started leading her out of the room. Ginny wanted to object, but a quick shake of Hermione's head had her pause and follow after the duo silently, sending one last worried glance back at Harry.

Just as they reached the door, it swung open and Sirius came rushed in, making the four teens jump in surprise. He immediately zoned in on Harry and walked past the others as if they weren't even in the room. His face was split in a large grin and his black eyes shone with excitement. Harry could almost see his animagus form wagging his tail. In his hand, he held a small object wrapped in brown paper, but Harry could still see a soft golden sheen coming from inside.

"Harry! You'll never guess what I found when I was cleaning up my mother's junk!"

The others walked closer, all curious what it was exactly that Sirius had found. Harry too put his book aside to look at what his Godfather was holding in his hand. His eyes widened as he recognized what was hidden in the folds of the dusty brown wrapping paper.

Ron and Ginny both frowned, not entirely understanding what was so special about the small object, but Hermione easily recognized it. A soft gasp came from the intelligent witch as she took another step closer, brown eyes wide in disbelieve as she stared at Sirius.

"Th-that is impossible!" she whispered.

Sirius' grin widened and he closed his hand in a fist, protecting the small sliver of hope for a peaceful future. The smile almost seemed dark now, as if he was remembering less than happy things.

"You obviously never met my mother."


	2. Plans Set in Motion

Harry walked into Gringotts, ignoring the many stares he had received when walking through Diagon Alley. The Ministry's slander campaign was working miracles, Harry could admit that much, but at least the Goblins stayed neutral in any wizard conflict. They wouldn't care if he was a liar or telling the truth, as long as he was there to give them work. A fat, blue haired goblin noticed him standing a little lost and walked over to him.

"Can I help you, mister Potter?" he asked in a tone that made Harry wonder if he had done something to anger the short magical creature.

"I'd like to withdraw some of my money," the young wizard replied quickly.

The goblin nodded and motioned for Harry to follow him. With a determined look in his once again shining green eyes, Harry did just that and allowed the short man to lead him towards his vaults. Yes, _vaults,_ as his first vault was only the thrust funds for his school time. Next to that, there was also the Potter Family vault, which had at least double the amount as the other one and Sirius had given him vault keys as well so he could take the money from those too.

Harry had thought that his parents' vault was pretty full, but the Black Family was much older, and apparently at least thrice as rich, add Sirius' more than modest personal savings, and Harry was sure he was now the richest wizard on the Isles.

Unsure what he could possibly do with that much money, Harry used his bottomless pouch he was given by Hagrid to take all of the money without bothering to try and guess how much it was. The amount was simply too big to do such a thing. The Blacks also had an entirely separate vault filled with ancient and dark artefacts and books, of which Harry decided to bring a few of the more blueish ones, thinking they could be a good source of information.

"How much exactly is this?" he asked when he noticed his pouch actually increased in weight.

"That must be about 600 million galleons give or take a few thousand," the goblin replied shrugging.

And here Harry thought he had seen enough to _not_ choke on air about something as frivolous as money. He guessed he was wrong as he coughed loudly, trying to start breathing again.

. . . . .

Harry walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, where the others were waiting nervously for his return. The decision to come temporarily out of hiding had been a difficult one and any second he was out in the open, Death eaters, or worse, Voldemort, could hear about it and come down there to kill him and his friends. Still, it was for a good cause and really, they didn't have that much of a choice with what they were planning anyway.

They had decided on going back and stop Tom Riddle from ever becoming Voldemort. They knew very well that once they left, they would never be able to come back, so Harry was sent out to get money and supplies, while the others stayed behind to figure out a cover story they could tell anyone in the past without anyone getting suspicious. Especially Riddle, as it was pretty well known that the Dark Lord was extremely intelligent before he had gone completely insane. Harry had no doubt that the man was still a genius, but he rarely used it anymore with how his mind had spiralled into madness over the many years.

As expected, he found his two best friends along with Padfoot and Ginny, who had demanded to come along with them after she had heard of the plan. They sat in the far back of the pub, obscured by shadows and buried in a large stack of books on both wizard and muggle history of the 1940's. Harry remembered that it was a chaotic period, as both worlds were at war at the time. Separately, of course. He didn't know much more than that though, as he never was all that good at keeping his eyes open during professor Binns' classes.

Sirius was the first to spot Harry walking their way and he yipped happily, jumping up from where he had been lying at Hermione's feet to greet his godson properly, or as properly as a large dog could at least. Harry chuckled as the large black dog practically jumped him and patted the animagus' head while the Weasley siblings watched amused.

"Harry!" Ron called out grinning.  
"Found everything we need?"

"Yeah," the other male mumbled, taking a seat next to Ginny while Padfood lay down at his feet.

They all looked pretty bad, he observed. Sirius's dog form looked less mangy than he had almost two years ago, and the fur was definitely looking healthier, however, he was still skinny for such a big dog and had a lot of knots and grime in his thick black fur. Ron's blue eyes lay deep inside their cases. Hermione had dark bags under her eyes and her hair was a lot wilder than usual. Harry guessed that he himself looked just as sleep-deprived as them. From all of them, Ginny seemed to be best off, however, even she seemed pale with dark bags under her eyes. Hermione had told him the girl had been having nightmares about the Chamber ever since she heard of the plan.

"Found anything we could use in there?" Harry asked the brown haired girl, who had yet to look up from her book of wizard family trees.

Hermione's head shot up immediately and she blinked owlishly at Harry, as if she didn't immediately recognize him. After a few seconds, the brown orbs grew in size and she quickly closed the oversized book, rubbing her tired eyes before looking back at the two boys, girl and dog.

"I did, actually," she spoke, reopening the book and showing one of its pages to her friends.  
"Apparently, the Weasley family was extremely wide-spread at the time."

Harry, Ginny and Ron looked at the family tree shown to them. It was indeed those of the Weasleys.

"Your grandfather, Septimus Weasley was the second youngest of eight children, only two of them were still at Hogwarts at the time, but the youngest, Octavian ended up killing himself halfway during his fifth year. The two oldest brothers were casualties of war and the third was locked away in Nurmengard by Grindelwald. He'd be freed in '45 when Grindelwald was locked in there himself, and spend the rest of his remaining years in St. Mungos as he'd gone insane from torture. They had five cousins, of whom one also went to Hogwarts." Hermione told them.

"I can see that 'Mione, but what does that have to do with us? We can't very well act as if we're one of them right? They all know each other I bet," Ron replied confused.

"Yes, but your great-great-grandfather had a younger brother, who moved to Germany and married a muggle there! This states they had a son of their own, but all three of them died when the boy was only 10 years old!" the bushy haired girl said excitedly.

"So?" Harry and Ron asked in chorus.

"For God's sakes! Let's assume that this boy survived and was raised _away_ from the rest of the Weasley family! He might have met someone and married her and had kids!" Hermione explained.

"Oh! I get it! We say we're _his_ kids!" Ginny grinned, being the first to get where Hermione was going with this.

"One problem though," Harry spoke up.  
"I know Hermione could maybe still go around as a Weasley, but I can't. I'm too obviously not."

Ginny and Ron's smiles fell again, knowing that Harry was right with that assumption. Hermione just smiled wider, opening another page that showed the Potter family tree.

"Harry's grandfather had an uncle who disappeared during one of his travels, along with his wife, a certain Estella Black," Hermione explained.

"Let me guess, I'll claim I'm their son?" Harry asked, tapping his chin in thought.  
"And maybe Sirius was my uncle, so after they died, he became my guardian, just like now."

Hermione smirked and nodded, before continuing her plan:

"We can even say we grew up together," she told them.  
"That our parents and yours were friends and after your parents died, you and Sirius came to live with us. All four of us went to Durmstrang until last year. By then, the war got our parents and the five of us fled back to England."

"Sounds amazing and all, but won't they do a background check on us?" Ginny asked.

"They'll try, but many things got lost during the war, and by since we only went to another wizard school until 4th year, they'll be unable to look for school records either, because they only kept track of those from 5th year and up, because that's when the OWLS are taken," Hermione explained.

Sirius gave a soft whiny noise and pressed his wet nose against Harry's knee, looking at him with big sad eyes. Harry looked down at him and patted his head, smiling in understanding.

"What will happen with Sirius while we're back at school?" Harry asked.

"He can take a job at Hogwarts," the brunette told them triumphantly.  
"They had a hard time finding permanent Ground Keepers and Caretakers because apparently, Peeves went through a rebellious stage during that time. I'm sure they'd be happy to hire you, Sirius."

The large black dog barked happily at that and wagged his tail.

"So… we fled to London after our parents died and heard that Hogwarts is one of the safest places to be?" Ginny offered uncertain.

"Yes!" Hermione cheered.  
"Guys, I think we have found the perfect cover for ourselves, don't you think?"

"Yeah! 'Mione, you're a bloody genius, you know that?" Ron told her grinning.

"Thank you, _brother_ ," she replied, grinning right back at him.

Harry laughed a little at that. He could clearly see Ron and Hermione as siblings, they already fought like them anyway. They didn't necessarily look like each other, but the way they acted, combined with the fact they didn't look particularly _different_ either, made the story at least believable.

"You know, I've always wanted a sister," Ginny told Hermione smiling.

"I just realized that Hermione is the only one who needs to change her last name to make this work!" Ron suddenly spoke up again.

"Yes, well, I don't really feel like letting _Voldemort_ know that I'm a muggleborn!" the girl huffed.  
"Even though he's still a student, I think safe to assume he hates muggles already. After all, he will open the Chamber of Secrets in his fifth year."

"…Right, almost forgot about that little thing," Ginny mumbled, grimacing.

Ron gave his little sister an comforting smile and put a hand on her shoulder. Harry looked guilty towards the two siblings, knowing that this whole mission would be likely to bring up many bad memories for the female redhead, but it was still their best shot, something all five of them agreed on apparently.

"I know I can't really pose as a pureblood either, that would be too obvious, but the Weasleys are considered bloodtraitors by the pureblood supremacists."

"Gee, thanks Hermione," Ron grumbled.

"Oh hush Ron! You know that's not a bad thing!" the brunette said.  
"In fact, I love you for it, really. Imagine you were like Malfoy _._ "

Both Ron and Harry shuddered at the thought. The image of Ron acting all haughty and superior like Draco Malfoy had been all their previous years was a scary one.

"I'd rather not, thanks," Harry said smirking.

"Anything else we need to know before we do this?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"Well, I looked up as much information about the war and Gellert Grindelwald as I could. Of course, most of that was still unknown at the time we're going to, so we best not let anyone know about the relation between Grindelwald and Dumbledore…"

This came like a punch in the gut to Harry. Dumbledore had not even looked at him during his trial a few days ago, and Harry had been getting more and more frustrated with the old Headmaster. Why hadn't he thought of the fact that they would be facing a much younger version of him soon?

"It's going to be pretty weird to see a young Dumbledore, right Harry," Ron chuckled nervously.

"Yeah… he was Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts back then," the raven haired teen mumbled.

Hermione gave him a sympathetic look and stood up from her seat. With one swipe of her wand, all the books shrunk and flew into her purse, before she walked up to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder as comfort.

"Everything will be fine, Harry," she whispered.

Harry took a deep breath and looked at his friends. These people that were willing to give up everything with him, their lives, families. None of them would ever come back to their own time. With a slight smile, Harry nodded. He too, would give up his future to try and heal the past so that the people who deserved it the most, could live happy lives here, without them.

"You're right, thanks Hermione," he said softly.

The brunette smiled and moved away, kissing both him and Ron on the cheek before she started walking towards the rooms, followed by Ginny. The group had rented two rooms the night before, so they would have a place to stay while they tried to figure everything out before leaving.

"Let's go to sleep boys," she called after them.  
"I think it's best we leave first thing in the morning."


	3. 1942

Harry and Ron woke the next morning with the girls shaking them, calling their names. With a groan, Harry cracked open his eyes and watched with a sleepy amusement how Ginny was struggling to get Ron out of bed. The redhead, growled grumpily and tried pushing his younger sister off, but the only girl in the Weasley family didn't let up in the slightest.

With a chuckle, Harry got out of his own bed and walked over to help his two female friends get the other boy awake. After about two minutes, they were finally successful when Padfoot barked loudly and jumped on top of the bed, effectively throwing Ron out of it. The group went to breakfast shortly after, Ron still in a pretty bad mood from his violent awakening.

"Are guys ready for leaving?" Hermione asked them while the two boys stuffed their faces with in syrup drowned pancakes.

"We packed last night, 'Mione," Ron replied, mouth still full with pancake.  
"You were there, remember?"

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother's table manners while Hermione narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but Harry was faster.

"I'm sure we haven't forgotten anything," he assured her.  
"We have money, the books you bought, my invisibility cloak and the marauders map…"

"Alright! Then we'll leave once you two are done eating like pigs," the young witch said, clapping in her hands.

Ron glared at her but didn't react on her last comment. Harry chuckled and wiped his mouth with a napkin, putting his plate aside and drinking the last of his orange juice. After a few seconds, Ginny too pushed her plate away, giving Harry a smile as the two of them started cleaning the table a bit before returning the empty plate food bowl from Sirius and the still half-full water bowl to the counter along with his and Ginny's plates. Once that was done, they walked back to the others.

"Let's do this before we start to regret it," Harry said smiling.

"Or before the Death Eaters catch onto us. I'm sure they already realized we're not with the Order right now," Ginny added.

The other two teens nodded and stood up from their seats. They walked out into the streets of Diagon Alley, moving over to a small, empty side alley so they would be out of sight. Once they were, Harry pulled out a wood box and opened it, revealing the time turner that lay inside. It wasn't, however, the same kind of time turner he and Hermione had used in their third year. It was larger, made out of white gold and embedded with expensive looking gems. The magic sand inside shone much brighter than the other version had done and it simply radiated magic.

"There you are!" two familiar synchronized voices called out before they could activate the time piece.

The group stared in horror as Fred and George Weasley approached, identical smirks twisting on their equally identical faces. They approached with quick steps, stopping on either side of Harry, each throwing an arm over his shoulder.

"We came over to warn you guys that mum found your empty beds this morning and went crazy," the one on the left, Fred, told them.

"Also, you shouldn't keep your time-travel research laying around like that," George added snickering.  
"Imagine what would have happened if someone else found it instead of us!"

Harry stared horrified from one to the other before he turned towards Hermione.

"You _left_ it at the house?!" he asked incredulously.  
"You. _You_ left it at the house?!"

"Everyone can make mistakes, Harry," the brunette huffed, but she still blushed.

"Are we going or not?" Ginny muttered out, glaring at her older brothers.  
"The longer we stand here, the less I want to do this, you know."

Harry nodded and held up the time turner as the rest of the group, now including the twins, came to stand around them. Seeing as no one was around to see them, Sirius turned back to his human form and he, the twins and the four friends went to stand close to one another as Harry put the chain around their necks. They shared one last look of determination with each other before Harry started turning the handle.

. . . . .

When the world stopped turning, everything was the same as before at first sight. After a few seconds, the sounds of a bustling, street ahead reached their ears and Harry's heart fluttered. In their own time, Diagon Ally had been filled with whispers and suspicious glances as he walked by, together with the loud hateful slants the Ministry had been calling out through the streets about Harry's and Dumbledore's supposed lies and cries for attention.

He shared a look with the rest, all of them looking excited and hopeful that it had worked, and started walking towards the main streets. The group stared at the many witches and wizards dressed in colourful robes and large pointy hats. The fashion in the wizarding world hadn't changed much in 50 years, so their robes didn't stand out very much. The main thing that had them believe that they had succeeded was that no one screamed in blind panic when they saw Sirius while the man was supposed to be the most wanted criminal in Wizarding Britain.

"Let's go back to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry said, quickly taking the lead.

The rest of their little group followed immediately after him. They made their way through the large shopping crowd and entered the small pub they were all so familiar with. It was a great relieve that nothing much had changed on the inside either. Except for the unfamiliar faces where the regular customers used to sit before, everything still looked the same.

"Hello there!" a young, cheery voice called out.

Harry looked over to the bar and found a man in his mid-twenties grinning at them. He looked slightly familiar, but he couldn't be entirely sure of that.

"The name's Tom. What can I help you all with?" the man asked smiling.

The group looked at each other and grinned. This was the same man that used to work the bar in their own time, only much, much younger. The way it looked, they had succeeded to get to the 40's.

"We just got in town and are looking for a place to stay," Sirius told him, grinning sheepishly.

"Well! You lot are certainly at the right place for that, I'll tell my father to get the rooms ready," Tom told them happily.  
"How many rooms do you need?"

"Four," Sirius replied.

"And do you have today's paper?" Hermione asked him sweetly.

"Of course love! We always have a copy of the Daily Prophet for or clients," Tom told her, handing her the copy she asked for.

Hermione took the paper and smiled in triumph. She motioned for her friends to follow her and went to sit at a table in the back. Once they all sat, Harry, Ron, Ginny and the twins turned towards their friend, who was still looking at them with a smug expression while Sirius stole the paper from her. He scanned it over quickly and gave a wide grin as he patted the brunette on the head.

"Smartest witch of your year," he told her proudly.

"What is it?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Look at the date," the brunette witch replied, as Sirius slid the paper over to the others.

The top of the front page proudly displayed the name **_'Daily Prophet'_** while under the title the current date was printed. Both boys and Ginny grinned in accomplishment when they read it: **_'August 10, 1942'_**.

"We bloody did it," Ron muttered astounded.

"You didn't think we would?" Harry asked teasing.

"You can't honestly say you didn't have any doubts, did you?" the redhead shot back grinning.

"Wicked!" Fred and George muttered in chorus, grinning widely.

Harry chuckled, but didn't say anything. Ron was right after all, he had doubted the possibility of going back in time this far, but at this point, Harry was just happy that it _had_ worked.

"Well then, I think we best start with part two of our plan?" Hermione offered smiling, taking out an envelope out of her bottomless purse.

"Alright, we'll get an owl and sent the letter to Hogwarts," Harry agreed.

"What is the plan anyway?" Fred asked curiously.

"Yeah, I don't think we're here on a holiday, are we?" George added.

Harry chuckled and he and the rest started explaining about the plan. Hermione added them into her background story, telling the others that Fred and George would be their older brothers, who had been home-schooled. It would be difficult to explain why they hadn't been to Durmstrang like the rest of them, but they couldn't have gone there for they were past their OWL's already. Once that was done, they wrote the letters.

In the letter was their explanation as of why they wanted to come to Hogwarts for the new schoolyear. The whole story about their supposed families were in there and Hermione had made sure to add that they were on the same educational level as other students their age.

Sirius himself had looked through possible job offers at Hogwarts and had found two: one for teacher Divination, and one for Caretaker. He had immediately sent his solicitation over for the latter, making sure to add his Auror training in it, as well as his relation to the former Headmaster Phineas Nigulus Black, who was supposed to be his grandfather with his new identity.

"And what do we do while we wait for a reply?" Ron asked the others.

"We'll lay low," Harry said resolutely.  
"Best we don't get too much attention on ourselves or everything might be ruined before we get a chance to do what we came here for."

"Harry's right, we best spent our time studying," Hermione agreed.

"Of course _you_ want to be studying," Ron muttered half-jokingly.

"Not everything needs to change," Hermione replied, smiling softly.

Ron gave a grateful smile in return and nodded. The familiar things were a handhold none of them could miss at the moment. They would surely go insane if those things weren't there to ground them.

After their little talk, the group separated. Harry and Sirius went to send the letters and Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the twins went to buy some extra supplies they couldn't have gotten in their own time. After an hour, they met again in the Leaky Cauldron and went up to their rooms for a good night sleep without the threat of being murdered in the middle of the night.

The only thing they could do now was wait a few days and hope for the best.


	4. The Train Ride

Tom sighed while he made his way through the masses of people on platform 93/4 towards the front of the train. All parents tried desperately to cling one last time to their precious children before they were shipped off to Hogwarts until Christmas break. It annoyed him quite a bit honestly, not that he would ever tell anyone. He was the Golden Boy, the perfect student, Slytherin Prefect. That last one had him smirk proudly and he brushed his finger over the silver pin on his robes. It had been much too easy to charm his way into the hearts of his idiotic teachers and peers.

Tom slowed his pace when he felt a heated glare aimed at his back and turned around to find a boy staring hatefully at him. The genius teen quirked an eyebrow at the other male whom he had never seen before but seemed to be related to the Potters if he had to guess, and glanced towards the brown haired girl and four redheads, three boys and a girl, and an adult man who looked an awful lot like an older, unkempt version the young Orion Black the year below him. They too looked unfamiliar to him, though the redheads looked an awful lot like the Weasley family. Those last few made him narrow his eyes a bit. Being a Slytherin and a close family friend of the Malfoys, he wasn't a big fan of the wide spread family of noisy redheads.

Deciding that it were most likely the new students that would enter Hogwarts this year and their guardian, Tom smiled as friendly as he could with such evil glares on him and waved at them. He felt accomplished when the two youngest boys and the red haired girl turned away from him and the brunette girl waved back shyly and uncertainly. The man and the two older redheads just narrowed their eyes at him in suspicion.

With a genuine smile on his face this time, Tom continued on towards the first carriage of the train before entering and walked towards the Prefect cabin with a purposeful stride. On his way, he was greeted by some other students and replied politely every time, while he would usually disregard most of them with indifference. He was in a too good mood for that now though.

When he and Lucretia Black, the Head-Girl, entered the Prefects' compartment, they found one other person already present there. Tom smiled and nodded towards the platinum blonde, silver eyed 7th year Ravenclaw girl. Lucinda Malfoy, Prefect and his old housemate Abraxas' little sister, looked up from her book and greeted him back in the same way before resuming to read. The girl simply loved to read, she could barely ever be found doing something else, except during classes.

"How was your summer?" Lucretia asked the platinum blonde politely.

The Blacks and the Malfoys were close family friends for generations already and always formed a strong front together. Added to this, Lucinda Malfoy was best friends with fellow Ravenclaw Cedrella Black, who might not be the most liked in her family, being a Ravenclaw instead of a Slytherin, but she was still of the oldest pure-blood family in the country.

It took a little while before the girl looked back up to answer, but when she did, she did so with a gentle smile on her lips.

"Not much to say really," she replied calmly.  
"We simply spent it at home."

"That sounds rather lovely to me," Tom said, smiling sadly, a fake sentiment of course.  
"I would very much like to be able to do that with a family of my own."

"I suppose you're right, it was nice to have so much time to spend with my father and brother," Lucinda nodded.

"Speaking of which, how _is_ your brother, Lucinda?" he asked, more out of politeness than actual interest in the subject.

"He is very nervous about his engagement with Ravina Lestrange, but other than that he is fine," the near-white haired girl replied chuckling.

Tom nodded and looked away. He cared little for communicating with this girl as she was rather shy and naïve, but she was also the daughter of one of the most powerful pure-blood families in England and her brother had proven most useful to Tom in the past. He had long since decided that she was worth the effort, if not for her dull conversations, than at least for the connections she and her family provided him with.

"Ah, but Ravina is most certainly very excited about it," Lucretia told her.  
"I just saw her at the platform while she was showing off her engagement ring to everyone who wanted to see."

Loud bickering outside the glass sliding doors warned the two of the arrival of some of the other Prefects and indeed, the door opened again. Tom barely repressed a sigh when he saw the 7th year Prefects of Gryffindor, followed by the 5th year prefect Lyall Lupin and Huffelpuff 5th year, the beautiful and radiant Rosetta Diggory.

Hanging out with the Slytherin elite, Tom had learned to look down on the Gryffindors, and he was well aware of the fact that they weren't fond of him either as Andrea Longbottom narrowed her eyes at him. Tom ignored her glare and took the Daily Prophet of the table to read it, showing the dirty blond girl that he wasn't impressed at all.

The girl huffed and dropped down next to Malfoy, who didn't even so much as looked up from her book to greet the others, while the other one, Septimus Weasley, plopped down on his fiancée's other side. This time, Lucinda did look up and she smiled at him, blushing a bit when Weasley kissed her cheek. The large, red haired male glared at Tom before restarting the argument with Longbottom, but in a much softer tone.

"I think we best start discussing the patrols before anyone else arrives and it becomes too busy in here," Lucretia told the others firmly.

The other Prefects all nodded in agreement and shuffled closer to the Head-Girl and to see what she was doing. Tom simply chose to ignore them and started planning along with his fellow Slytherin.

. . . . .

"He looks a lot different than I thought," Hermione told the others while they entered an empty compartment.

She was clearly talking about Tom Riddle, whom they just saw walking on the platform. Harry still looked upset, and Ron and Ginny were downright horrified. The twins both were scowling thoughtfully. Though never having gotten near Riddle when his diary had terrorized the school, they still remembered what the boy had done with their baby sister.

"Yeah, I never thought he'd look that normal!" the youngest Weasley boy mumbled.

"What did you think? That he had a snake face in school already?" Fred asked jokingly, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"… Kind of…"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron!" Hermione laughed.  
"All information pointed that Tom Riddle was a handsome and intelligent student. I just never expected he'd be _this_ good-looking…"

"Great! Now my 'twin sister' has a crush on the enemy!" Ron cried dramatically.

"Aww! Is Ronikins jealous?" George teased.

"Jealous little 'sis' is falling in love?" Fred laughed, giving his younger brother a noogy.

"It's not funny!" Ginny growled.  
"He tried to kill me in my first year!"

The others looked away guiltily and sat down, trying to find happier conversation topics. When nothing really came up, they just decided on silence. With a deep sigh, Hermione grabbed her schoolbook of potions and started reading. Sirius had been approached by one of the teachers before they all entered the train and was led towards the front, where the other professors were seated so he could be properly introduced to them as the new school's Caretaker. They had said their goodbyes and Sirius had promised to meet with them later that day.

Before long, the train reached Hogsmeade. The six time-traveling friends left the train in a nervous silence and walked up the platform, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, someone seemed to be waiting for them.

"Mr. Potter, Misters and Misses Weasley," an auburn bearded professor Dumbledore greeted them, his light blue eyes shining with delight and mischief.  
"I am professor Dumbledore, deputy Headmaster and teacher in Transfiguration."

"A pleasure to meet you sir!" Hermione responded smiling.  
"We heard some great things about you, and Hogwarts of course."

"Thank you very much Miss Weasley, but I do think we're best off now. We can't have the other students waiting for you lot, as I'm sure they all would love to meet their new classmates," professor Dumbledore said smiling.

The friends nodded and followed their old headmaster towards the carriages. Black, skeletal, bat-winged horses snorted and stomped their feet when they walked past, entering the very first of the coaches. Harry stopped, staring at the creatures in shock as he turned to look at the others. His three friends were looking at him with confused expressions while Dumbledore smiled sympathetically at him.

"I take it you have seen someone die before?" the auburn haired man asked softly.

Harry blinked in surprise and frowned.

"How'd you know?"

"The Thestrals can only be seen by those who have seen death, my dear boy."

Six pairs of eyes widened in shock and the other five looked at where Harry was watching, squinting to try and see what he was seeing. Harry scowled and lifted a hand, carefully allowing one of the scary looking horses to smell his hand before he petted it's nose.

"I suppose I'll have to give my condolences young man. Was it recent?"

"About two months ago, professor," Harry whispered.  
"He was a good person, a schoolmate of ours."

"It must have been a horrible experience for you," the professor mumbled.

"It was," Harry agreed.

Ginny's hand came to rest on his shoulder and the redhead gave him her most comforting smile she could muster being a bit shaken up herself. It wasn't much, but Harry still smiled back, being grateful for his friend's support.

"I'll be fine Ginny, don't worry," he told her softly.

"I know," the youngest Weasley replied in a whisper.

After that, the group stayed completely silent during the ride, tense with nerves and saddened by past memories. Professor Dumbledore tried to ease their minds a little by explaining how the Sorting Ceremony worked. Harry couldn't help but give a slight smile when he remembered Ron telling him in first year that they would have to battle a troll. He couldn't believe how naïve they had been at the time for actually believing such nonsense.

"We're here," Dumbledore told them, giving them a reassuring smile before exiting first.

The twins Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione followed shortly after, looking up at the grand castle towering before them. The last time they had seen the magnificent building, they had grieved over the death of a very kind and brave student. Hermione took hold of Harry's left hand and he looked over to see her do the same with Ron on her other side. Ginny slipped her small hand into Harry's right around the same time and smiled at him. Fred and George both stood next to Ginny's other side, the closest of the two having put his hand on her shoulder. Harry's eyes met his friend's and with a determined nod, they entered the castle.


	5. Hogwarts

While the Great Hall filled with the many students, the twins Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione shared one last worried look amongst one another. Between the students seating at the Slytherin table, they could see the young, handsome Tom Riddle, talking with a boy with shoulder length, curly black hair that seemed oddly familiar to Harry.

"I think that's Alphard Black," Hermione whispered softly.

"Sirius' uncle?" Ron asked wide eyed.

It didn't make much sense to Harry either. Alphard was supposedly the only family member that was willing to help Sirius after he ran away from home. He was described by his nephew as a good man with a sense of humour and he didn't really believe in pure-blood supremacy, at least not like the rest of the Blacks. This boy was going to end up being blasted off the family tapestry by his own sister after all.

Hermione nodded and elbowed her 'twin brother' in the side when he started frowning at the Slytherins. Ron yelped and turned to stare undignified at the brunette girl. Harry chuckled at his two friends and noted not for the first time that it seemed they were made to be siblings. Ginny seemed to think the same thing as she held a hand over her mouth to quiet her snickering.

"Ickle Ronnikins seems to be getting along with his sister again," George muttered amused.

"They still have a lot to learn though," Fred replied smirking.  
"Can't have those two ruin the good name of all twins."

"Shut up," Ron muttered bitterly, glaring at his two older brothers.

Of course, the twins only started laughing and teased him some more while Harry and Ginny smiled at them. Hermione rolled her eyes and hit Ron on the back of his head, ordering him and the twins to pay attention. Fred and George snickered at that and saluted at her.

The young professor Dumbledore stood up from his seat next to Headmaster Dippet and walked over to the small group of four, smiling kindly when his eyes met Harry's. The friends smiled back, feeling comforted by the familiar, if not somewhat de-aged, face of their former headmaster.

"Dear students!" the old headmaster croaked from his seat at the staff table.  
"As you might have noticed, we will have two new students in 7th year, three new students in 5th year and one student in 4th year. They will be sorted right now, before the first years arrive."

He motioned for Dumbledore to take over and sat down again, looking expectantly at the four newcomers while the auburn haired teacher took the ancient hat from the stool.

"Ginny Weasley!" he called.

Many students, mostly Gryffindors seemed surprised at this. The two Weasleys already seated at that table looked between each other, wondering if either of them were even aware of this particular family member. Of course, neither of them seemed familiar with her.

The redheaded girl lifted her chin proudly and stepped up to the stool with a confident stride. She sat down briskly, sending a deathly glare towards the Slytherin table, where Tom Riddle was watching with moderate interest before she turned her head away and looked over at the Gryffindor table and the two heads with vibrant red hair. Dumbledore gave her a small smile and set the Sorting Hat on her head in a gentle manner.

"Gryffindor!" the hat yelled loudly in only a matter of seconds.

Ginny sighed relieved and smirked at her three friends still standing on the stage as she walked over to the applauding red-and-golden table. The girl she sat down next to a girl who was obviously a Weasley as well, with vibrant red hair, freckles and brown eyes. Shocked, Harry noted that she looked almost identical to Ginny, was it not for her large bush of untameable curls. The expression Ginny made betrayed that she had noticed the similarities between them as well.

"Ronald Weasley!" Dumbledore called the next redhead up.

Ron gave a nervous half-smirk towards his two best friends and sat down on the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head and for just a few short seconds, everything went completely quiet once more before the hat broke it with a loud roar.

"Gryffindor!" he announced loudly for a second time.

Ron took of the hat and walked over to the cheering table, giving a relieved smile. The other female Weasley sitting next to Ginny leaned over the table as Ron sat down across from his sister and stuck out her hand in greeting.

The girl seemed set on talking to his friends and Harry wouldn't be surprised if she was interrogating them about how they would be related. He just hoped Ron had memorized their chosen background and wouldn't mess up, though he was sure Ginny would save him if he did. The younger Weasley was, after all, a surprisingly talented liar whenever the occasion called for it.

"Hermione Weasley!" Dumbledore called, as the brunette carefully made her way over.

The hat was placed on her head once she sat down, but this time around, more time was taken before a decision fell. Harry suddenly felt slightly nervous, wondering why the Hat would have to think things over before sorting her. She already had been sorted before after all and had done well in Gryffindor. Surely the Hat was able to see she belonged there with the rest of them?

"Ravenclaw!" the Hat yelled to Harry's and his two sorted friends' surprise.

They all tried to keep their expressions impassive and Ginny and Ron slowly started applauding for the brunette. Ron seemed to be frowning, but Harry was sure this would only be seen as his reluctance to separate from his twin by anyone else. Hermione sent a glance towards her 'brother' and 'sister' before walking over to the blue and blue table. Apparently, the other Weasleys were all pretty confused by now, when the brunette sat down next to a red haired 5th year and obviously the only Weasley _not_ in Gryffindor. If Harry remembered it right from Hermione's explanation, that was Octavian Weasley, the one that would commit suicide in a few months. That thought made him a little sick, but he swallowed the feeling down quickly. Perhaps they could save him too, along with Myrtle, who sat not so far away from the redhead.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called his name.

Harry stepped up to the stool and sat down, soon after feeling the soft aged leather of the Sorting Head against his scalp. The hat huffed annoyed at this thought.

 _"_ _I am not necessarily that old! Still 50 years younger than when we first met isn't it?"_

 _"_ _You know about that?"_ Harry asked in his mind.

 _"_ _Yes. Now about your sorting… I can't understand how I sorted both you and miss..._ 'Weasley' _into Gryffindor. Well, you certainly have the qualities, but you will need other talents than bravery to be successful in your endeavours… Ah! Yes, yes, I see. There you could learn some things you will need. Of course!_ _Better be…"_

"Slytherin!" the hat yelled out.

Harry looked over to where Ron, Ginny and Hermione were sitting and noticed his best friend nearly choke on his pumpkin juice while Ginny had turned pale as a ghost as she stared in shock. It almost had him smiling, but the idea of being constantly close to Tom Riddle and away from his friends made him tense, and dare he say, scared.

After sending a nervous glance towards the teacher's table and finding Sirius smile encouragingly back at him, he slowly stood and walked over to the cheering table. To his chagrin, he noticed the only free spot for him to sit was next to Tom Riddle. Alphard Black lifted an eyebrow as he sat down on Riddle's other side, but didn't say anything.

"I've never heard of a Potter to get into Slytherin," the future-Dark Lord commented casually, giving Harry barely a sideways glance. It was as if he was talking to his cronies instead of Harry himself.

"I was raised by a Black," Harry replied none the less, jabbing a thumb towards Sirius.  
"Besides, from what I heard, Durmstrang is a lot less reserved concerning Dark Arts than this place."

He supposed that the best way to go about their mission was winning Tom Riddle's trust, and the best way to do _that_ was by being interesting to him. That certainly worked, as Riddle looked over at him, looking into Harry's green eyes with his own dark blue orbs.

"You went to Durmstrang?" he asked curious.

"Yeah," Harry replied nodding.

"You said you were raised by a Black?" Alphard asked from Riddle's other side.

"Sirius. He's my uncle, on mother's side."

"How do they fit in the family tree?" a 6th year with tied up black hair, a narrow face and a slightly pointed nose, asked.

"They're the children of Phineas Black," Harry replied, proud that he had remembered.

The girl, whom Harry now recognized to be Walburga Black, snorted in disgust and turned her back at him. Harry raised a brow at that, but refrained from reacting to it, instead he focused on the person sitting on his other side.

"What about your parents?" a brown haired 6th year asked.

"They died when I was a baby," Harry told him, turning around to address the new speaker.  
"I was raised by my uncle and my friends' mum and dad."

"Sorry to hear," the brunette mumbled, giving Harry a humourless grin.

"It's all right. I'm used to not having parents, but at least I have my friends."

"Kind of reminds me of Tom!" another 6th year brunette that reminded him slightly of the Lestrange brothers from Dumbledore's memory exclaimed.

"Ah…" Harry said, sounding uncertain. He was not yet supposed to know who 'Tom' was, after all.

"I'm Tom, Tom Riddle," young Voldemort said, sticking out his hand.

"Harry Potter," he replied, shaking the hand of his future enemy.  
"But I guess you already knew that with my name being called so loudly and all…"

It was weird to touch without being in incredible pain. Instead, a strange but pleasant warmth spread through him. The two quickly released each other, making Harry believe that Tom had felt it as well. The heir of Slytherin coughed in his fist before turning towards his other companions.

"This is Alphard Black, a far cousin of yours I guess," he introduced the black haired male on his other side, just as Hermione had predicted.  
"The man on your other side if Daniel Mulciber, and the three across from us are Nicolas Lestrange, Emidius Avery and Michael Rosier." Riddle pointed towards the brunette that had spoken earlier before moving on to a boy with very neatly kept short blond hair and a black haired one with nearly the same haircut but less neat, before introducing another raven haired boy with messy curls this time and a painfully familiar face.  
"This is Orion Black and the blond guy over there is Amaliricus Nott."

The two 4th years waved slightly at him before Riddle continued introducing a boy with long dark red hair who looked an awful lot like the Lestrange boy he had just been introduced to.

"This is Dimitri Lestrange, Nicolas' younger brother, Antonin Dolohov and Eileen Prince."

"And the girl next to her is Megan Yaxley," Avery said, pointing towards a girl with high cheekbones and long dark brown hair.

"She can be real nasty, but one of the hottest chicks in school!" his friend, Rosier added grinning.

"You better get used to us quickly, mate, we're your family for the rest of the year!" Alphard said, winking at Harry.

"I bet I'll feel right at home with you guys," Harry told them grinning a little falsely.

Sure, the group seemed nice enough and all, but Harry just couldn't forget that the man he was sitting next to would grow out to be the single most evil wizard of all history and the murderer of not only his parents, but also his godfather and girlfriend. Tom seemed to notice that he wasn't really as excited as he acted to be and he narrowed his eyes at their new housemate.

Whether he planned on confronting Harry or not, there was no time for it as the hat called out another bellowing "Gryffindor!" sending Fred towards the table where his younger siblings were already seated. Shortly after, George followed, grinning widely and sending a wink Harry's way when he caught the dark haired teen's eye.

Professor Dumbledore swung open the large doors of the Great Hall and marched a group of first year students inside. All students already seated stopped whatever they were doing at the moment and turned towards the newly arrived. At last, the real sorting could begin.

. . . . .

Harry listened from afar while the Head-Girl, Lucretia Black explained the House Rules to the new first year Slytherins. He tried to listen at least, but the uncanny resemblance between Orion, who was standing next to his sister, and his future son Sirius was more than a little distracting for the boy as he kept picturing his own godfather who was currently patrolling the halls no doubt.

"You alright there?"

Harry jumped a bit and stared at the triumphantly smirking Alphard, who was personality wise exactly like Sirius, but with the blood purity ideals of the other Blacks, if somewhat muted. Only a few hours had passed since the sorting, but Harry had already learned that the boy was a one man incarnate of Fred and George, mostly aided in his missions of mayhem by Mulciber and the oldest Lestrange brother. The raven haired male loved pulling pranks on his fellow students, and hadn't even shied back from literally freezing all the drinks on their table during the feast. It had surprised Harry that even Riddle had smiled at the prank while most others seemed angry at the joker.

"I'm fine," Harry said quickly, noticing the expectant stare he received from the other.

"Really? You were looking kind of sad back there…"

Harry shrugged and turned away, opting to watch Tom Riddle and their other classmates talking in the back of the room together with the Lestrange brothers. Alphard followed his stare and sighed, dropping down on the couch next to him.

"You better stay out of Riddle's way if you want to finish school mate," the boy warned.

"Why is that?" Harry asked quickly, eager for any type of information on the young Dark Lord-to-be.

The more he knew about the other, the easier it would be to take him down. How he would do that, Harry wasn't sure yet, but he'd figure it out by the time they needed to act. Alphard sighed again, but didn't reply, instead, he just looked at him with a curious expression. Harry looked back at him, eyebrow cocked. After a few seconds, Alphard started to grin and jumped up.

"Say Potter," he started.  
"If I remember it right, your cousin used to win the quidditch trophy for Gryffindor every single year he played! His dad was bloody great too, I heard, and so was yours. Rumour goes he even got asked for the national team. Makes me wonder if that talent's in the blood with all you Potters."

"I guess, maybe," Harry shrugged. He wasn't really interesting in joining the team, especially now that he would be playing for Slytherin.

"C'mon man, go for some more enthusiasm!" the other boy grinned.  
"What position do you play? I'm a chaser."

"Seeker."

"Great! Try-outs are this Sunday, I'll be expecting something good from you. If you want, I'll even get in a good word for you with my sister – she's the captain you see – so don't embarrass me alright?"

By that, Alphard left him alone. Harry frowned a little at the other's retreating form and wondered how he got to him trying out while he didn't even want to play. How could he enjoy something when so many people had died because of him in another time? Then again, he was here now to prevent that from happening in the first place, and to do that, he had to look normal. Having hobbies would help him with that.

"Daydreaming, Potter?" a familiar voice asked mockingly.

Harry's head shot up and he glared at Riddle, who was looming over him with an evil smirk on his handsome features. He wanted to curse at himself to allow the boy to sneak up on him like that. If this had been 50 years in the future, he'd be dead by now…

"Why do you keep glaring at me like that? Have I done anything to offend you?" Tom asked innocently, cocking his head in mock confusion.

Harry huffed annoyed and turned away from the other, looking towards Orion Black while he tried explaining some things to a first year. Tom rolled his eyes and sat down next to Harry, much to the green eyed wizard's dismay.

"Something you want, Riddle?" he asked harshly.

"I was simply wondering why you are all on your own like this," Tom replied, smiling kindly at him.  
"I wanted to ask you if our classmates have been unkind to you in any way, after all, you are the new student and it is my duty to make sure you feel welcomed. I really thought we were doing well during the feast too…"

Harry tensed, remembering his plan to win Riddle's trust. The way he was acting was definitely not the right way to go about that. Riddle might just start thinking he was bipolar or something if he kept this up! He glanced back over to the young Voldemort and smiled weakly.

"I'm just really tired," Harry lied.  
"I have a lot on my mind…"

"So I've heard," Tom nodded.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked warily.

"The rumour goes that you and your Weasley friends have fled the war on the continent," Tom spoke calmly, glancing at Harry to assess his reaction.

"Oh, that," the black haired wizard mumbled.

"So is it true? You've actually seen Grindelwald in person?" Tom asked, concern lacing his voice, but Harry wasn't a fool not to hear the eagerness behind the fake sympathy.

"Yeah, I've seen the Dark Lord," Harry conformed, purposefully using that title. That way, Tom didn't know he was actually speaking of an entirely different dark wizard than Grindelwald.

"How was it over there? Is it really as bad as people say it is?" the dark teen asked, his dark blue eyes glistening with morbid curiosity.

"It's worse," Harry replied through gritted teeth.  
"The war cost us _too much_! I won't let that happen again."

"What do you mean by that, Harry?" Tom asked, cocking his head in a questioning manner.

Instead of replying, Harry simply glared at the other male before standing and rushing off towards the dorms. Tom chuckled amused while following the other with his eyes. He had a feeling that the new student wasn't entirely truthful with him. The boy had gone through trauma, yes. That much he could see, but not by Grindelwald's hands. The bitterness Potter held inside him was not aimed towards the German dark wizard at all, in fact, he look completely passive towards him, as if he wasn't worried in the slightest about the war currently going on at the continent.

"I'll find out your secret," he mumbled softly to himself, smirking darkly.

Deciding not to ponder over it too much at the moment, Tom stood up and went over to where his followers were flocking together. He wasn't all that interested in their conversation necessarily, but maybe he could get some information from one of them. Best case scenario, he would be able to hint some of the more curious members of their little group to find out Harry's secret for him.

It might be easier than expected, when he found Alphard already excited to find out what the newcomer could do on a broom. He calmly offered to help enthuse Potter more for the upcoming try-outs for their quidditch team of which his sister was captain. Tom didn't particularly like the sport, or Walburga for that matter, but getting the mysterious boy to join could work in his favour.

"I'll talk to him about joining if you want," he offered slyly.

The entire group fell silent for a moment as they looked over to their Lord, some becoming a bit fidgety at the thought of Riddle showing an interest in someone. Usually, it wasn't much of a good thing if he did. His toys always ended up broken in the end.

"And what are you getting out of it, Riddle?" Megan asked sarcastically.

"Why should I need to gain something?" Tom asked in mock innocence.  
"As a prefect, it's merely my task to help him settle in."

"Just admit your curious about him, Tom," Nicolas Lestrange said smirking.

"He knows things I want to know," Tom replied shrugging, ignoring the fact that the brunette had addressed him by his disgusting muggle name.

"He'll talk eventually, they always do," Avery told him, a hand resting lightly on Tom's shoulder.


	6. Starting Classes

Harry was awake with the first rising of his roommates. The nightmares, insomnia and the Dursleys made sure he had become a light sleeper. Call him paranoid, but with Tom Riddle only two beds away, Harry was sure that it might just save his life at some point in the near future.

He sat up and yawned, looking over the still sleeping students to find Tom Riddle walking out of the bathroom. The dark eyed wizard looked over at him with a blank expression before making his way over to the only empty bed in the room. A well-aimed spell had Alphard, who slept next to Tom, yelp in surprise. The young Black glared half-heartedly at Tom, before grabbing his school robes and walking over to the bathroom, pausing when he noticed Harry staring.

"You better get ready for class too if you want breakfast," he told the green eyed wizard.  
"The other morons here are usually too late."

After that, he turned around and walked into the bathroom. Harry yawned again and rubbed his eyes, slowly rising from the bed and stumbling over to his trunk to get his clothes. He cast a glance in Tom's direction and found him leaning bored against the wall between his and Alphard's bed, waiting for his 'friend' to come back out of the bathroom.

"There's a second bathroom on the other side of the hallway," Tom said, not even looking Harry's way.

"What?" the other asked confused.

"Black usually spends about half an hour in the bathroom," Voldemort-to-be explained.  
"If I were you, I'd use the other bathroom."

Harry nodded and walked out, spotting the other bathroom door across the hall from their dorm room and walking over. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door swung open. Harry chocked back a startled yell, when he came eye to eye with the younger version of his godfather, Orion Black. Orion cocked his head and stared at Harry questioningly with familiar black eyes.

"You alright there?" the younger boy asked.

"S-sure! I-I just thought you were someone else, that's all," Harry stuttered.

"Who?" the teenage father of Sirius asked curiously.

"It- it doesn't matter..."

Orion gave him a questioning look and stepped back, allowing Harry to enter the bathroom before disappearing back to his own dorm. Harry took a shaky breath. He really had to be more careful if he wanted to get through this without rising too much suspicion, but being surrounded by family members of people he knew from his own time and _Voldemort_ really was hard.

Once he was finished, Harry walked back into the dorm room to pick up everything he would need for classes today. It wasn't that much of a surprise when he found Tom Riddle was already gone and most of his classmates still sound asleep. He sighed, deciding it wasn't really his business anyway and he walked back out.

"Potter!"

Harry turned around just in time to see Alphard Black approach him from the bathroom. The other raven grinned, dark eyes glittering with mischief that reminded him so much of Sirius. Alphard didn't look particularly like his godfather, but he knew that his personality was likely to be much like his future nephew and in the end. Harry didn't know if he should consider that a good thing or bad.

"Thought you might wanted some company," Alphard said grinning.

"Thanks," Harry replied, smiling wryly.

His reaction seemed to confuse the young Black, as Alphard frowned and took a step closer.

"You alright mate?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I just… never mind," Harry stuttered before taking a deep breath.  
"Can you show me the way back to the Great Hall? I didn't really pay attention yesterday…"

"Sure! C'mon, Potter."

. . . . .

Breakfast was uninteresting. Tom kept to himself and talked in a hushed tone with Avery and Rosier that made Harry wonder if they already figured something out. The Lestrange brothers made it snow, and Lucretia Black made a snowman walk around as if it were alive. Mulciber, Dolohov and Alphard started a snowball fight, but professor Slughorn was fast to make an end to that. It didn't save a couple of Huffelpuff second years from being hit by an ice ball from Megan Yaxley though.

Harry tried to talk to his friends for a while, but they were soon called away by some Weasley boy from 7th – Ginny explained that his name was Septimus and that he was their grandfather, a fact that made Ron grimace slightly. In the end, Harry had to settle for a little conversation with Alphard and a 4th year named Amaliricus Nott. He appeared to be friends with several other people outside of Slytherin, so he didn't judge Harry for his friends and Alphard didn't seem bothered with it either. They were clearly a lot more open-minded than most others of their House.

. . . . .

Afterwards, he followed his classmates towards History of Magic, which they had together with Gryffindor. He was happy to be given the opportunity to hang out with his best friend again for a little while, even if it was during class. At least it was History of Magic, so no one would be bothered if they would talk a little. The class was without a doubt the most boring one anyway.

He eventually spotted Ron in the far back of the room, waving him over with a wide grin on his face. Harry smiled and walked over to his best friend with the intention of sitting next to him. Just as he was about to reach him, Megan slid in the seat next to the red haired time traveller. The beautiful Slytherin girl smirked flirtatiously and winked, making Ron blush furiously.

Harry frowned, not understanding why the girl decided to sit just there. After getting to know Megan a little, he knew perfectly well it wasn't to be friendly, but that only confused the dark haired teen only more. He just couldn't figure out what her reasoning was.

"Harry! Come sit next to me."

Harry's blood ran cold when he heard Tom call out to him. The young Dark Lord sat near the front of the class with Alphard and Avery sitting behind him. He slowly turned around and walked back to the front of the classroom where the black haired Dark Wizard was seated. The other had an incredibly smug look on his face, and suddenly Megan's actions made sense.

"Thanks," Harry muttered when he sat down on the offered seat.

"You don't sound very grateful," Tom pointed out.

Harry frowned and glared at the grinning teen.

"Then I guess neither of us are as good actors as we hoped we'd be," he replied bitterly.

Tom chuckled and leaned his head on his hand, looking at Harry with an amused expression in his blue eyes. Harry rolled his own and turned away, stubbornly keeping his eyes trained on the front of the classroom instead.

"Alphard said you might try out for the team. Seeker, right?" the young Dark Lord spoke pleasantly.

Harry looked at him, glaring as he didn't want to talk with the other at all. Tom raised a brow when he didn't receive an answer, but he didn't press. He just continued watching Harry with amused dark blue eyes while the other turned back towards the front of the class.

"I'll find out just who you are," Tom said after a few minutes of just observing.

Harry tensed for a moment, but didn't look back towards his classmate. He refused to give Tom the satisfaction of reacting. Just then professor Binns walked into the room. It was strange for the young time traveller to see the man well and alive in front of him like that.

"So that's what he looks like alive," he mumbled to himself.

"What did you say?" Tom asked curiously, leaning in closer to better hear the other.

The green eyed teen blinked. He hadn't even noticed he said that out loud.

"I said you can try," he challenged boldly instead.

The amused chuckle he received from the other and the small gasps in shock coming from behind them as a reaction to that comment told Harry that it might not have been the best thing to say to his future enemy. For a moment, however small it was, Harry had forgotten that the teen he was sitting next to was none other than Lord Voldemort.

"I will, don't worry."

. . . . .

Harry stormed out of the Defence class with a large frown on his face. The nerve of that guy! If he wasn't so hopeful that he could redeem the bastard and make him better his live, he swore he'd bloody killed the prat by now.

He rounded another corner and almost bumped into another person. Muttering a quick apology, Harry made to walk away and wallow in his rage a little more, but a familiar and amused voice made him stop dead in his tracks and look up at the person he nearly walked down.

"Whoa there, Harry!" Sirius chuckled.  
"What did the bastard do to get you this worked up on your first day?"

Harry blushed in embarrassment at the statement and cast his bright green eyes to the floor, a scowl forming on his brows.

"It's nothing, really," he muttered.

"You look like you're about to start casting Unforgivables," his Godfather deadpanned.

"I'm not-!"

"Harry!"

Both men turned to watch the brunette girl running towards them, a worried expression crinkling her features. Hermione stopped right in front of Harry and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him almost violently as she started yelling worriedly.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again! I thought you were really going to hex him!"

"So did I," Harry grumbled bitterly.  
"And he would have bloody deserve it too!"

"Alright, what did he do?" Sirius asked, expression now cold and dangerous.

"Harry wanted to team with me during class, practicing defensive spells, but the Slytherins got in between and Black, Avery and Rosier started making some really nasty comments on the Weasley family," Hermione started explaining.  
"Calling me a bloodtraitor and a mudblood lover and they said that Harry shouldn't be friends with me. Riddle didn't join in with them, but he didn't stop them either-"

"Bloody bastard was looking way too smug not to be behind it," Harry growled.

"-When Harry started defending me, they started dueling, three against one! If it was any lesser person, instead of Harry, he wouldn't have stand a chance-" Hermione explained.

"-And then Hermione helped me out by disarming Black when he tried to hex me from behind," Harry continued.

"-Professor Merrythought saw us and got angry of course-" Hermione added.

"-So Riddle immediately explained how his friends _might_ have been inconsiderate towards us and how we _must have taken it as an insult_. As if he was doing us a favour with explaining it like that! The smug git actually got us _out_ of detention by talking with the professor! We didn't even do anything wrong!" Harry finished angry.

"-In the end, Harry blew up and put his wand right in Riddle's face. I really thought he was going to do something, but the whole class was watching and Riddle didn't even grab his own wand to protect himself! He just stood there, smiling."

Sirius took on a thoughtful expression and nodded.

"I understand you are upset about that," he spoke seriously.  
"Back in my schooldays, I had the same thing happen once. Though it were James and I doing it to Snive-… Snape. Lilly was furious about it, of course."

Harry's lips twitched, as if he wasn't sure whether to smile at that, or frown.

"I still can't believe I have you to blame for Snape hating my guts all these years."

"If we had known he'd give you a hard time we would have- No. We still would have done it."

Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed Harry's arm.

"No matter how much fun it is to talk about these things, _Harry_ needs to go to Divination and _apologize_ to Riddle. We can't let this get in our way of our objective."

"Why would I apologize to the bastard?!" Harry demanded.  
"He bloody well deserved my wand in his face! He deserved my foot in his face!"

"But that would be horribly counterproductive of our plans!" Hermione countered.

Harry sighed in defeat and allowed himself to be dragged down the hall by his best friend while his Godfather watched on with amused twinkles in his dark eyes.

"You're just saying that because you don't have to bunk with him," Harry muttered bitterly.

"You'll survive," the brunette witch dismissed.

"But _he_ might not," was the quiet, dark reply of the green eyed teen.

Sirius shook his head in silent amusement as the two teens disappeared behind a corner and turned to walk the other way. He paused, eyes wide in shock and face drained of colour as he saw a mop of messy black hair dressed in proud green and silver colours walking hurriedly down the corridor away from where they had been talking.

After a second of consideration, he looked around himself, verifying that he was all alone before he transformed into his animagus form. The large black dog hurried after the unknown student, wondering where the other boy rushed off to. When he finally reached the other, he barked, hoping to get the student's attention. Alphard immediately looked up and grinned, petting the messy fur of the dog as it greeted him.

"Hello there doggy!" he greeted cheerfully.  
"Where did you come from? Did you lose your owner?"

The large black dog barked again and licked his hand, making the boy grin.

"Alphard."

The boy tensed at the cold voice coming from behind him and Padfoot couldn't stop himself from growling threateningly to the newcomers. Tom wasn't impressed in the slightest, but both Lestrange and Mulciber flinched back from the large Grimm.

"My Lord," Alphard replied nervously, inching away from the black dog.

Tom's eyes flitted towards the dog, dark blue eyes glittering in something akin recognition before it disappeared and he moved his piercing gaze on to the young Black narrowing them dangerously.

"Report," he commanded coolly.


	7. Debrief

Harry entered the library last of all his friends. The rest were all already seated in the far back, where very few students ever ventured. Ginny noticed him first and waved him over smiling. Harry smiled back and walked up, sitting down next to Fred and Sirius.

"Hey," he greeted.

"We were just asking around how everyone is doing in their new Houses," Sirius told Harry.

"How do you think I'm doing?" Harry asked frowning.  
"I'm bunking with Tom Bloody Riddle."

Ginny winced at the name, and the expressions of the twins darkened. Ron and Sirius seemed sympathetic with Harry's dilemma, but Hermione just sighed and shook her head.

"It was your own idea to give the boy another chance, Harry," she pointed out.  
"I know it's hard, but we can't back out now. We're here if you need us, but in the end, it'll be you who'll have to do this."

"I know that," Harry groaned, lying his head down on the table with a deep sigh.  
"But it's not easy you know, always with his blasted 'holier than thou' attitude. He's bloody infuriating!"

"If it helps, we've got this awesome prank ready for him," Fred comforted.

"Just say the words, and we'll have him singing ballads for a whole week," George added grinning.

Harry couldn't help but snort at that. The twins always had some way or another to make him feel less like shit. He tried to imagine how Riddle would react if they did something like that, but the face of a raging Voldemort appeared before his mind's eye and he quickly shook his head.

"Let's keep that as a back-up plan," he mumbled softly.  
"I'm sure I can think of something else to stop him from becoming Voldemort."

"If you say so," the twins replied in chorus.

Harry chuckled and looked around himself, observing every single one of his friends. They seemed calmer than they had in a long while already, more relaxed than they'd been at Grimmauld Place. None of them was worried about never going back, and Harry was sure that if they tried, they could make a new life here that was worthwhile.

"So," he spoke up after a short while.  
"What's everyone been up to this week?"

"I have been getting to know my housemates," Hermione spoke up proudly.  
"Though Ravenclaw has always been considered a neutral house, there are a lot of dark wizard children there too. Not as many as Slytherin, but definitely more than Gryffindor and Huffelpuff."

"Like who?" Ron asked frowning.

"Lucinda Malfoy and Cedrella Black from 7th year for one," Hermione replied.  
"Not that Cedrella Black is particularly dark. She'll marry Septimus Weasley, so she's very light oriented already. Then there's Hannah Wilkes in 6th, Johnathan Selwyn in my year. He's an awful bully, just like that Olive Hornby. They always pick on poor Octavian Weasley."

Hermione sighed and leaned her head on her hand.

"It's horrible to think that poor boy will die in a few months…" she muttered sadly.  
"He's really smart and kind. He could have a wonderful life, if it wasn't for all those bullies."

"You think we can save him?" Ginny asked hopeful.

"We might," Hermione replied nodding.  
"That's why we're here, aren't we? Saving lives?"

"We are, but remember it's only secondary," Sirius told her.  
"Stopping Voldemort will have priority in this, no matter what."

With grim faces, the teens all nodded at the only adult in their group. Sirius smiled weakly and turned towards the twins.

"What about you two, what have you been doing?" he asked.

"Getting detention," Fred replied almost immediately, looking far too smug.

"The whole weekend with professor Merrythought," George said grinning.

"How is that a good thing?" Harry wondered out loud.

"Well, you see-" George started.

"-Since professor Merrythought gives detention real easy, we figured a lot of those baby Death Eaters would end up with her too-" Fred continued.

"-And that would mean we'd get a closer look at them, find a few things out maybe-" George said again.

"Maybe even win their trust!" Fred finished.

"But it does mean you'll miss Harry's try-outs," Ginny pointed out.  
"He's got them tomorrow, remember."

"We don't need to see it to know Harry will get the seeker position," Fred waved her off.

"It's pretty obvious he'll get it anyhow," George agreed readily.  
"Harry's a bloody natural. The first kid in a century who'd gotten on the team in first year."

"Thanks for the trust in me you guys, but I'm still not sure if this is such a good idea," Harry told them.  
"I mean, I'll be playing for _Slytherin_. I love quidditch, but… Slytherin! I don't know if I'll be able to get over that. Maybe I'll even purposefully let them lose!"

"I wouldn't mind that at all, mate. Especially if you're playing against Gryffindor," Ron replied grinning, only to receive a slap to the back of his head from both Ginny and Hermione.  
"Ouch! What's that for?!"

"Don't you want to win fairly?" Ginny asked.

"Cheating is wrong, Ronald!" Hermione scolded at the exact same time.  
"And there is nothing inherently wrong with Slytherin, Harry. You're just biased because of Malfoy and Riddle."

"Can you blame me?" Harry muttered bitterly.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, my week was bloody amazing," Ron told the others grinning.

"How's that going to make me feel better?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Because I'm your best mate, and you wouldn't want me to be miserable," Ron replied, his grin widening even more.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. At least Ron was still pretty much Ron. It made him feel a bit better about the whole situation.

"I got to know my own classmates too. No Death Eaters there of course. I hung out a lot with this guy named Lewis Young and, you're never going to believe it, Lyall Lupin! Professor Lupin's future dad! You wouldn't say it when you see him for the first time. They guy looks nothing like the professor."

"He looks like his mum," Sirius nodded.  
"I've met his parents a few times. You'd never believe that guy's his dad if it wasn't for their last names."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Ron replied.  
"Personality wise, I think they're pretty much alike."

"Really?" Sirius asked surprised.  
"When he's older he'll be a very strict man though…"

"He isn't yet. He's actually pretty great to hang out with," the young redhead told the others, before he started frowning.  
"Only… he really, really hates Slytherin… usually, that wouldn't bother me, but he thinks Harry's gonna end up an evil dark wizard too! Gin got in a big fight with him two days ago about it. I told him off too of course, but other than that, we're still cool."

"Thanks for sticking up for me I guess," Harry said, smiling at Ginny.

The youngest redhead blushed a bit and smiled back.

"Of course! What else should I have done? I couldn't let him say those things about you. You're a hero."

Harry's smile fell. He frowned and looked away, shaking his head sadly.

"I'm not a hero, Gin," he muttered.  
"A hero would have been able to save Cedric."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Ron exclaimed.  
"How could you even know that was going to happen? Besides, just because you survived the killing curse as a baby doesn't mean you'll do it again if you jumped in front of the bloke."

"His parents didn't blame you either, did they Harry?" Hermione pointed out.

"Listen to your friends Harry," Sirius told him when he noticed Harry was still upset.  
"You're a wonderful person, and you've done more for any of us, for the whole Wizarding World than anyone else would be willing to. You're just a boy Harry. You never should have been in the position where saving anyone's life was an option, let alone necessary."

"Honestly, we would have been more upset if you did save Diggory," Fred pointed out.

"Because that would mean you'd have died instead, wouldn't it?" George added, seeing Harry's frown worsen.

"We're family you know," Ginny pressed smiling.

At last, Harry smiled back at his group. They all cared so deeply for him, it never ceased to amaze him others could hold so much love for just him. He loved them too you know, but somehow, it seemed more logical for him to love them than the other way around. Ridiculous of course. He knew what he meant to them, but that didn't stop him from marvelling at the little fact.

"Thanks. I wouldn't know what I'd do without you guys," he said honestly.

"Probably attempting to murder Riddle," Sirius replied dryly.

Harry chuckled.

"Yeah, probably," he agreed.

"Sirius," Hermione spoke up frowning worriedly.  
"What have you been doing this week anyway? I've seen you wandering the halls a lot, but you always seemed so lost, like you didn't know what you were doing?"

Harry's eyes widened and he stared at his Godfather worriedly.

"Are you alright?" he asked quickly.

"I'm fine, Harry," Sirius replied, shaking his head.  
"At least, I think I am… I feel like there's a dark hole in my mind. I'm pretty sure I'm missing several hours of memory this past week, but I have no idea how that happened."

"Maybe you're getting old?" George suggested.

"Aren't you already like, 35 right now?" Fred asked.

"35 isn't old!" Sirius countered offended.

"But add Azkaban…" Fred muttered.

"Dad says you get old a lot faster there," Ron nodded.  
"Maybe that's what happened to you? No offense, but you look a lot older than 35."

Sirius glared at the three red haired boys and opened his mouth to reply when he suddenly realized something and closed his mouth again. He deflated with a deep, sad sigh. Harry smiled when he noticed how much his Godfather looked like a kicked dog at the moment.

"That might actually be true," Sirius admitted.


	8. Quidditch

**Next chapter is here! :D Thank all of you who have reviewed this story (or just viewed ;)) I'm really happy you like it so far. Let's hope I can keep it up :)**

 **To Serial Letters: Thanks! And don't worry, I'm Belgian, so English isn't my first language eithter. I'm still better at it than French though, sorry :/**

* * *

Harry looked over the field, assessing the other Slytherin students flying around on their brooms. Today was the day of the try-outs, and he was honestly nervous for some reason. His new broom was nothing like his Firebold and he was still working out the kinks, getting used to the much slower equipment as he decided he much more preferred the brooms in his own time.

His eyes flicked over to the bleachers, where Ron, Ginny, Hermione and even Sirius were sitting to cheer him on. The twins would have been there too if they hadn't gotten detention that day for setting off firecrackers during Defence. Harry remembered that Mulciber and Julia Rowle had both gotten detention as well for duelling each other in the hallways, so he was sure the twins would have their hands full. Mulciber and Rowle were both 6th years, a year lower than Fred and George, but extremely talented in dark arts and true trouble makers. From what his classmates had told him, they had detention nearly every week.

His friends had all encouraged him to join the team after he told them of Alphard's invitation, saying it was best for them to get used to this era as soon as possible, and familiar things, like quidditch would make that easier on them. All new Gryffindors were also planning on joining their team, apparently.

His gaze lingered on his Godfather and he frowned worriedly. For the past few days, Sirius had been acting strange, confused. Harry wondered often if something had happened, but the older man told him he was perfectly fine, aside for the fact he apparently missed about 30 minutes of memory. The others had all dismissed it as just a little blackout in which Sirius must have gone about on autopilot, something everyone did every now and then, but Harry wasn't so sure, especially not with the way Tom Riddle and his followers kept staring in his direction every time he was in the same room as them. It had gone so far Harry now avoided the Slytherin common room in the evenings and instead opted to meet his friends in the library or the Room of Requirement, which Sirius had told them about, and stake out there until curfew.

"Alright everyone!" Walburga Black, 6th year chaser, captain and Sirius' future muggle hating mother called everyone together.

Harry flew back to the ground and landed next to Alphard, another chaser, apparently since last year, but he had to do his try-outs again. No one was certain of their spot in the team for two years in a row. Only the best ones were welcome and Walburga gladly kicked her teammates off if it meant there was more room for more talented players. She'd even step out herself if she found herself lacking, but since she was incredibly talented, that was very doubtful. Harry had been honestly surprised when he'd seen her play the first time. She was a natural. Even Victor Crum could learn from her grace on a broom.

"We'll start with the Keeper and Chaser try-outs," the intimidating woman said.  
"Rowle, Rosier, get to your places! Alphard, Crabbe and Ravina are on team one, the rest of you are on the other. Potter, Parkinson, wait here until it's your turn!"

With that, all the others took to the sky once more while Harry and Percival Parkinson, 3rd year and Pansy's grandfather Harry guessed, watched. Walburga flew up with the others to keep a close eye on her potential teammates. She had a deep scowl on her aristocratic, soft features, making her look older and less attractive than she actually was. Still, Harry had to admit she was rather beautiful. It was hard to imagine this was the same person as the horrifying painting at Grimmauld place in his own time.

By the time Walburga called him and Parkinson up for their own try-outs, Harry had grown increasingly uncomfortable for some reason. He glanced up towards the bleachers one last time, emerald eyes widening as he saw Tom Riddle sitting not so far from his friends, his dark blue eyes focused solely on him with terrifying intensity.

"The first one to catch the snitch will get the spot!" Walburga instructed, pulling Harry's attention bac to the try-outs.  
"Show some fair play while you're at it. We don't tolerate cheating in this team. Slytherin has a bad enough reputation among the other Houses as it is already!"

Harry swallowed nervously and took to the sky. The howling wind in his hair and the cold bite in the air slowly took all his worries away once again. He felt at home this high up and away from all the complicated missions and connections. He felt at home on a broom.

Harry surveyed his surroundings for a moment, trying to locate the snitch, but he soon found himself focused on the quidditch game still going on beneath him. Ravina Lestrange, 7th year and regular on the team for the past three years had the quaffle and easily evaded all her opponents. When one of the Beaters, her younger brother Nicolas Lestrange, sent a bludger her way, she quickly rolled and threw the quaffle in Alphard's awaiting hands, who threw it to the hoop. John Rowle was simply too slow to catch it, making it another point for team one. Harry grinned and applauded.

Harry had had only a few run-ins with the tall, burly 7th year, but he had already figured out that Rowle was just your average bully. He didn't like the man even in the slightest. Not that he was a big fan of Rosier, but his classmate – even though he was obviously a baby Death Eater – was well mannered and nice enough. At least he didn't beat up little kids just for fun. From all his classmates, Harry guessed he liked Alphard best, but maybe that was because he acted so much like Sirius, or because he knew the young Black wasn't going to turn out as a mass murdering, sadistic bastard like most of his other classmates.

Harry shuddered. There was a scary thought.

"Potter!"

Harry looked up, watching Parkinson approach him on his own broom. The younger one was grinning at him, though there was no kindness, only a smug certainty. The boy had short black hair and big, light brown eyes, his face was round and childish, making him look more like a 1st year than a 3rd year, with rosy cheeks and pink lips. Harry decided that he didn't look the slightest bit like his future pug faced granddaughter.

"May the best man win," Parkinson told him in a tone that indicated it would be him.

Harry narrowed his eyes at that, but still accepted the offered hand of his opponent.

"Definitely," Harry agreed, sending his most dazzling smile.

The two separated again and flew both their own way in search of the ever elusive Golden Snitch. The game had finished by now and Harry was only partially aware that it was Rosier who had made the team. He smiled a bit at that, happy he didn't have to see Rowle every training. He'd almost hated the older boy more than he did Riddle. Almost.

The Beaters were now focused entirely on him and Parkinson, hitting the bludgers in their directions while they tried to find the snitch. As the Beaters in the team were Dolohov and Lestrange – it would have been Mulciber instead of Dolohov, but he couldn't make the try-outs and was thus automatically disqualified – they targeted Harry more than Parkinson, mainly because it was pretty obvious that Harry didn't like their Lord. He had proved that point during DADA when he outright threatened Riddle.

He should have seen retribution coming, Harry thought bitterly as he expertly dodged another bludger from Lestrange and flew past Dolohov as fast as his Tinderblast could go. He flew higher as he tried to stay ahead of another one of those damned black balls. He lost track of the bludger easily enough and he took the time to survey his surroundings once more.

A golden sheen on the other side of the field, close to where Parkinson was idly floating on his broom caught his attention. Harry zoned in on the small fluttering ball and levelled his broom down, flying as fast as he could towards the snitch. Only a few seconds after this, Parkinson noticed the snitch as well while he was dodging a bludger sent by Dolohov and he raced towards the small golden orb. He was much closer than Harry, but that had never deterred the green eyed teen before.

A bludger from Lestrange cut off his descend, and Harry had to pull his broom up to prevent the handle from being splintered. A little backflip had him back on track and he executed a perfect corkscrew to confuse the bludger. Gaining speed in the momentum, Harry reached Parkinson and cut off the other boy, forcing the younger to slow down just slightly. It was enough for the bludger to catch up and slam into Parkinson when Harry dropped in height, searing close to the ground as he continued his pursuit on the snitch.

A shout from behind him warned him that Parkinson was out of the game, at least for the moment and Harry used the momentum to catch up with the golden snitch, sticking out his hand as he started climbing along with the annoying little ball he was supposed to catch. From the corner of his eyes, he could see another bludger fly towards him and he sped up even more, forcing his broom past its limits. The cool, smooth metal brushed against his fingers and Harry made a roll, just in time before the bludger could slam in the side of his head.

Grinning, Harry landed and held up the snitch. His friends in the bleachers cheered loudly, and Alphard too applauded, grinning proudly at him. It was still weird to Harry that the young Black Heir was so supportive after the whole debacle a few days earlier. Harry still was angry at his fellow Slytherins, and it unnerved him that Alphard had so easily dismissed the whole thing. He was sure the other had exterior motives in the form of an infuriating junior Dark Lord.

Harry made a point not to look in Riddle's direction, though he could feel the other's intense gaze burning in his back. The sudden level of interest the young Dark Lord was showing him since his slip up in DADA was unnerving to say the least.

"So," Harry said calmly, glancing over to where Parkinson was looking at him, eyes wide in shock and he grinned.  
"No hard feelings, right?"

. . . . .

Harry was in a state of bliss as he undressed in the team's dressing room. His broom, the Tinderblast lay next to him while he stripped himself of his green quidditch robes, switching them for his dark blue school robes and tied his green and silver tie back around his neck. He had impressed Walburga and the rest and easily made the team. He just hoped he'd get over the fact that he was playing in the wrong colours soon. Before their first game preferably, though that one was against Huffelpuff, so he didn't expect too much confusion on his part. Now, the game against Gryffindor…

"You're a cheating bastard, you know that?!" Alphard called as he strode over to Harry.

"What?"

The raven teen had a serious expression plastered on his face, stern and his lips pulled down in a scowl, but his dark eyes shone with mischief and he seemed to be trying hard not to smile instead.

"Making me think you're just some ordinary bloke while you're secretly bloody talented!" the other exclaimed.

"I never said I wasn't good though," Harry replied dryly.  
"I said I guessed I was sorta good."

" _Sorta_ doesn't really fit though," Rosier pointed out chuckling.  
"I just hope this wasn't just some fluke."

"Yeah! If you can pull this off every game, there is no way we'll lose!" Alphard agreed laughing.

"That doesn't mean you can slack off," Walburga cut in, hitting her younger brother on the head.

"When do I ever slack off?" the younger Black asked, rubbing his head as he glared at Walburga.

"Every single one of your classes," she deadpanned.

The entire team chuckled at the two bickering siblings and Harry smiled. He still thought it strange that all these people, who would turn out to be Death Eaters and muggle haters, could be so normal and happy in their youth. It made Harry want to save them all. Cursing his own hero complex, Harry laughed aloud at the jabs and quips his new teammates shot at the cost of the youngest of the two Blacks while the prankster faked hurt at their jokes.

. . . . .

"Harry!"

The teenager looked up to see his friends approaching him, all grinning widely. Hermione ran up to him first, enveloping him in a congratulatory hug while Ginny and Ron walked up slower, the last one doing so while sending nervous glances at the rest of the Slytherin team. Harry noticed of course, and smiled apologetically towards his friend. Once Hermione let go of him, he turned towards his teammates, smiling at them.

"You guys go on ahead," he mumbled.

"Sure! But don't forget we'll be celebrating you and Rosier making the team!" Alphard told him.

Harry wasn't much interested in going. He still distrusted the Slytherins and out of all of them, he only considered Alphard a potential friend. If he could, he'd just stay away from them all, like he had been doing the past week. Sadly, Riddle's groupies seemed to be gaining more and more interest in him, and he was barely left alone without at least one pair of Slytherin eyes on his person. Plus, he still planned on getting close to Riddle, no matter how disgusting the idea was to him.

"Alright, I'll be there, I promise."

"Thank Salazar we won't have to force you then!" Lestrange laughed, clapping him on the back with a bit too much force.

When the Slytherins left, Harry turned back towards his friends, smiling gratefully at them.

"Congratulations on making the team Harry," Ginny told him smiling.

"Thanks, it wasn't easy," he replied.

"Obviously," Hermione scoffed.  
"They did it on bloody purpose you know, target you."

"I know, revenge I guess, for Riddle the other day…"

"I wish I'd been there!" Ron groaned.  
"Seriously mate! How do you put up with them every day? You're a bloody saint for not having done something sooner!"

"Sooner?! It was only the second day!" Hermione hissed.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to do it before we even got on the train!" the redhead returned.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and glared as Ginny nodded in agreement. It was all Harry could do to stop himself from grinning like an idiot as his friends argued. With a sigh, he fixed his friends with an apologetic look and Ron returned it with a pitying one.

"I better get going before anyone comes looking for me," he murmured.

"Just make sure you survive, alright mate?" Ron warned half-heartedly.

"I rebound killing curses, there isn't much he can do," Harry replied dryly.

"Alright then, see you tomorrow?" Hermione asked smiling.

Harry nodded and gave the brunette witch another parting hug, before waving at Ron. As he started walking away, Ginny fell into step next to him, sending him a dazzling smile and a small blush.

"I'll walk you back," she said.

Harry smiled back gratefully and offered the youngest Weasley his arm, allowing her to hook hers through it as they walked together. They had almost reached the dungeons, when the sound of arguing caught their attentions. Harry easily recognized Rosier's voice, as well as the deep baritone of Rowle and rushed towards the empty classroom he heard them from, Ginny close behind him with her wand already out. He wasn't at all shocked to find Rowle, along with his two brawny cronies, Cornelius Crabbe and Alexander Wilkes, were ganging up on the younger student. No doubt the older boy was bitter for being kicked out of the team.

"What's going on here?!" Harry demanded before he could stop himself.

The four other Slytherin boys all turned to face him and Rowle's face twisted in a gleeful sneer.

"Look at that," he growled darkly.  
"If it isn't Potter and his bloodtraitor girlfriend."

Harry rolled his eyes at the taunt and levelled his wand at the large teen, who easily matched his stance. The two glared at each other while Ginny too took a defensive stance next to Harry and Rosier, with Crabbe and Wilkes both raising their wands as well.

For a moment, Harry really thought it would end up in a duel, however, they were stopped before the first curse could be fired. He could feel the raw, magical energy long before the other even entered the room, the power being like a fingerprint, unique and so, _so_ familiar.

"Put the wands down," Tom demanded in a cold, threatening tone.

Rowle and his cronies turned ashen at the sudden appearance of the Lord of Slytherin, while Rosier didn't seem able to decide whether to be relieved, or terrified. At seeing the dark glare Riddle levelled on the three older students, he decided on the first one and he deflated visibly as he lowered his wand. Harry was tense as he watched the young Dark Lord circle them to stand in front of Rowle and his helpers, ignoring Ginny who seemed about ready to attack him at any given moment. Harry had to subtly put his hand on her wrist to stop her from raising her wand again.

If Tom even noticed the exchange, he didn't comment on it but his eyes still flicked over to Harry for barely a second before returning to Rowle and narrowing dangerously. The large male gulped loudly, taking a step back from the younger boy, which only made him smirk coldly.

"Are you really that pathetic that you have to attack Rosier just because he is better than you at quidditch?" he asked coolly.

"O-of course not, My L-… Riddle…" Rowle replied shakily, eyeing Harry and Ginny suspiciously as he corrected his almost slip-up.

"No? Then, pray tell, what _were_ you doing then?"

"I-I was-.."

"Attacking Rosier for being better at quidditch," Harry quipped.

Ginny looked mortified at his audacity, so did Rosier, Crabbe and Wilkes. Tom looked over at him again, dark blue eyes studying him intently. It was slightly uncomfortable, but Harry was used to being stared at after years of being the Boy-Who-Lived so he just shook the feeling off and levelled the teen Voldemort with a neutral expression. Then, to everyone's surprise, Tom smiled, a dark, sadistic smile as he turned to look at Rowle again. The burly 7th year turned completely white as that expression settled on him.

"Hmmm. Is that so?" Riddle purred sweetly.  
"Are you lying to me, Rowle? Tsk, tsk, you should know better than that."

"I didn't-…" the man began shaking.

"And here you are, doing it again! Be careful when you pick your words, Rowle."

Harry could clearly hear the threat in those words, the unspoken _'they might be your last'_ hung in the air loud and clear for everyone who was even slightly aware of what Tom Riddle really was like.

"Riddle," he spoke carefully.

"Potter," the other returned, smiling pleasantly at him.

"There's no need for violence you know, everything is settled now."

"And here I thought you were about to start fighting," Riddle smiled.  
"It is my duty as Prefect to prevent that from happening. Should I assign you all detention instead?"

"… No…" Harry muttered warily.

"Good! Let's get going then, we can't have a party without the two guests of honour, can we?"

Tom eyed both Harry and Rosier for a moment before turning towards Ginny and giving her a most dazzling, charming smile that would have made most other girls weak in the knees. Ginny simply narrowed her eyes in suspicion and crossed her arms over her chest, her wand still tightly fisted in her hand.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Weasley," he spoke calmly.  
"But Harry is in good hands now, you can go back to your lion's den."

Ginny snorted, but still turned around and strode out of the classroom, brown eyes darkened with anger and hatred. Harry watched her go and sighed, knowing that he was going to be given hell if he didn't go after her, so he moved to do just that. A strong hand around his arm had him stop after only one step, and Harry glared at Tom.

"You're not getting away that easy, Potter," the handsome Dark Lord said dangerously.

Harry narrowed his eyes, hands twitching to grab his wand at the threat in front of him. His heart constricted at the scrutinizing gaze in those dark blue orbs and he wondered what Tom knew to look at him like that. It had only been six days! No matter how much of a genius Tom Riddle was there was just no way he'd figure everything out that soon, could he? Tom seemed to notice his hesitance and he squeezed his arm, a bright smile crossing his features as he started pulling Harry out of the room.

"There is a party waiting for you," he explained cheerfully.

Harry almost sighed in relief, but held it in as he simply smiled back and nodded. The grip on his arm disappeared and Harry quickly rushed forward some to walk next to Rosier, who smiled at him as well and clapped him on the back.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, Potter," he said softly.

"No problem," Harry replied grinning darkly.  
"I just don't like bullies, so it was my pleasure."

Rosier raised a brow at that, but if he suspected that Harry was thinking about something else, he didn't say anything about it. Tom on the other hand narrowed his eyes in amusement as he stared at Harry's back, a sinister smirk curling his lips as his mind raced over the conversation he had caught between Harry and his three friends earlier…


	9. A Killer Party

Harry nursed his empty bottle of firewiskey, keeping a wary eye on his fellow Housemates as they all celebrated the start of a new year at Hogwarts and the appointment of him and Rosier in their Quidditch team. Several of his new teammates and classmates had already congratulated him of course, but Harry wasn't paying attention to any of them.

All his attention was on one person at the other side of the common room. Tom Riddle. The other teen was talking in hushed tones with the Lestrange brothers. The bloody Lestrange brothers! If that wasn't suspicious, than Harry didn't know what else was. Everyone knew the Lestrange family was the most loyal of all Voldemort's followers….at least they did in his time.

"Congrats on the position, Potter," Avery spoke up cheerfully, suddenly appearing next to Harry.

The green eyed wizard jumped in surprise at the heavy hand suddenly resting on his shoulder and glared at his grinning classmate. The blonde had a new glass of firewiskey in his other hand, which he offered to Harry. The raven accepted uncertainly, keeping a suspicious eye on his classmate as he took a gulp of the pleasantly burning liquid. Avery either didn't notice his distrust, or simply didn't care as he started a one sided conversation with the time-traveller.

"What are you doing all on your own in a corner anyway? This is a party mate, get out there a little! Flirt with some girls, or something. You haven't lived until you got slapped in the face by Megan, or if Walburga hasn't yelled at you," the blonde told him.  
"That woman has a set of lungs on her, you wouldn't believe, but I guess you'll learn all about that particular banshee soon enough now you're on the team, eh? You're supposed to be enjoying this all, so stop being a bloody wallflower and enjoy it! If half of what Rosier told us is true, you deserve this party for more than just some fancy flying tricks."

"It was nothing, anyone would have done the same thing," Harry muttered distractedly.

Avery frowned, appraising Harry as the other continued staring at Tom with a thoughtful expression. The blonde huffed at the obvious way he was being dismissed, not liking being ignored at all. He waved a hand in front of Harry's face to force the dark haired teen's attention back to himself as he continued talking.

"I honestly don't know any Slytherin who would stand up to a big guy like Rowle for just anyone. Some Huffelpuffs maybe, or the odd Gryffindor with an annoyingly righteous hero complex, but no self-respecting Slytherin would even think of starting a fight he can't win."

"Who says I couldn't win?" Harry asked dangerously.

Avery didn't seem to notice the cold voice Harry spoke in and just laughed.

"Rowle is a 7th year! Of course he would have fried you if Riddle hadn't walked in!" he snickered.

Harry rolled his eyes and shot his classmate the stink eye before turning back to watch Riddle. Both Lestrange brothers were already gone from sight, and Tom was now talking with Rosier and Alphard, both of whom kept glancing their way.

Harry frowned, noticing the slightly worried looks of the young Black. What were they up to? Nothing good he bet… He looked around the room, searching out the Lestranges as a bad feeling set in his belly. Where did they disappear of to? Those two were not the kind to leave a party early.

A strange lethargy started falling over Harry, and the room seemed to spin just slightly. Frowning, Harry focused on his drink, trying to remember how many he'd had at this point. It was only his second, and still more than half full to boot. He might have a low tolerance, but this was just ridiculous.

Harry swayed as he stood, glaring at his glass as he made to get a glass of water to clear his head again. He took a few steps, but stumbled and almost fell. Strong hands caught Harry before he slammed into the ground.

"Whoa there, lightweight!"

Harry looked up and blinked. Oh. So that was where the Lestrange brothers had disappeared to. Nicolas and Dimitri grinned at him, both devious and shark like that it made the hairs on Harry's neck stand up straight.

"What?" was all he could mutter before darkness descended.

. . . . .

When Harry came to, he found himself lying in his bed. Confused as to how he got there, he tried to sit up, but as soon as he was halfway up, he was hit by a terrible nausea and was forced to lie down again to prevent himself from throwing up or passing out. He groaned and grabbed his throbbing head, trying to ease the pain a bit as he closed his eyes tightly against the little light in the dorm.

"You better stay down for a while, lest it gets worse," a smooth voice suggested.

Harry turned his head towards the speaker and frowned. His sight was incredibly hazy, so he was unable to identify whoever was there, but he sounded awfully familiar. He wanted to sit up and look for his glasses, because his current state of vulnerability was making him uneasy, especially with the danger radiating of the other person in the dorm. Unease turned into terror when he realized he could hardly move at all, his limbs all felt like lead.

The other person chuckled at his struggles, and Harry's clouded eyes widened as he recognized the sound. His blood froze in his veins, his heart hammering against his ribcage.

"Riddle…"

"Just relax Harry, I only want to talk to you for a little while."

Realization hit Harry like a brick wall and he tensed even more.

"You drugged me!" he accused in the strongest, unwavering tone he could muster, which was still awfully weak and shaky.  
"Avery… the drink… you set me up!"

Tom chuckled again, walking up closer to Harry's bed and leaning over the immobilized teen. A long-fingered hand came up to his face and stroked Harry's cheek almost lovingly before tracing upwards to the lightning bold scar on his forehead. A surge of heath ran through both of them at the touch, and Tom's grin widened.

"You have a curse scar linked to me," he muttered, suddenly breathless

"What do you want, Riddle," Harry gritted out, glaring at the other teen as Tom continued staring at him with that strange expression.

"Answers. And you'll give them to me, whether you want to or not."

The way Tom said it, in such a cold, certain tone a voice, made Harry shiver in fear. He could hear the truth in the words. Tom smiled at him, cruelly, and the hand on his scar slowly slid into his hair, carding through the messy tresses without catching any knots. The nails softly scratching his scalp felt nice, but Harry was more than aware of the threat. Those gentle hands could easily turn cruel and painful. This was the Dark Lord he was dealing with after all.

"Why would I?" he dared anyway.

As expected, the grip in his hair tightened for a fraction of a second before Tom relaxed again.

"I guess my asking nicely won't be enough?" he teased.

"This is you asking nicely? I don't want to know what you consider mean then, Riddle."

"I'd answer my question if I were you, or you might find out first hand."

"No."

Riddle narrowed his eyes at him for a second, before he turned away, a knowing smirk on his features. He took out his wand, using it to tap thoughtfully against his chin as he appraised Harry with piercing dark blue eyes.

"I wonder…" the young Dark Lord muttered.  
"Do you really rebound killing curses like you seem to claim?"

Harry's eyes widened in horror as the older boy said this, and he stared at him. Tom Riddle smiled cruelly, levelling his wand towards Harry's chest, dark eyes glittering with sadistic pleasure as he leaned closer to Harry's face, digging his wand in his chest as his breath fanned over Harry's face.

"We can test it if you want," he purred seductively.  
"Or maybe we should test some other fun curses first? How well are you under the Cruciatus?"

"Fuck you Riddle!" Harry growled.

The young Dark Lord laughed and leaned back, watching Harry weakly squirm on the bed as he trailed his wand over his chest and belly to rest on the green eyed wizard's hips.

"Scream really pretty for me and I might consider fucking you after," he replied amused.

The comment made Harry still his attempts and stare in shock at the future Voldemort. Riddle was still leaning over him, only this time with a bit more room between them and an infuriating smirk stretched on his face. Gritting his teeth, Harry continued his struggles, not wanting to find out if the other was serious with that threat or not.

"I'm not telling you anything!" he growled.

Riddle sighed and rolled his eyes. With one last poke in Harry's side that was sure to leave a bruise, he pocketed his wand and moved away. Harry stilled in surprise and eyed the other warily as the young Voldemort sat down on the end of Harry's bed, his expression completely blank, his dark blue eyes intense and calculating as they continued to observe Harry.

"Then you listen and I'll talk," he suggested smoothly.

The future Dark Lord smiled casually and ran a hand through his perfectly groomed wavy black hair as he eyed Harry's weak state, the grin gaining a sharp edge in dark amusement.

"You have plans concerning me, something you need from me, or something you need me to do perhaps. Because of that, you've been trying to get closer to me by being interesting. That means you at least knew about me before you came here because not many people know that I only ever allow interesting people close to me. Most think I chose my followers solely on blood status and power."

Harry swallowed nervously at those words. Had Tom heard them talking? He had to, otherwise he wouldn't have known about him surviving the killing curse. Teenage Voldemort watched his every reaction, smirking as he saw the distress in Harry's expression and knowing he was most likely right up until this point. It encouraged him to continue.

"Getting close to me is hard for you. Not because you're not interesting, because even without the lies you're trying to tell me – yes, I know you didn't actually go to Durmstrang, you haven't used a dark spell even once even in the heat of a duel while you were so eager to explain how you were more apt to it than most Potters – you are the most interesting person I've had the pleasure of meeting. The problem for you is that you hate me."

"You're a bastard, of course I don't like you," Harry growled.

"Yes, but you hated me even before you met me," Riddle shot back smirking.  
"Your Weasley friends are the same like that. You all hate me, but yours and little miss Weasley's hatred for me is more personal, as if I did something personal against the two of you."

"You drugged me!"

"That was only today, you've been acting like this ever since the train," the young Dark Lord tutted.  
"It makes me wonder what it is exactly that you think I did."

He looked expectantly at Harry, but the younger teen kept his lips firmly shut. Tom sighed in exasperation, making Harry glare at him harder. The killing curse seemed to literally shoot out of the green eyed boy's eyes, his entire body taut with tension as his magic swirled dangerously around him. Harry could feel the drug slowly fading, but it still wasn't enough to take on Riddle, so he opted to fake weakness for at least a bit longer.

"You have a curse scar linked to me," Riddle mused, tapping his chin as he looked Harry over, searching for clues.  
"And you survived the killing curse… who tried to kill you Harry? I would have remembered if we met before, let alone if I tried to kill you."

"No one tried to kill me," Harry gritted out.  
"You're delusional Riddle, no one can survive the killing curse."

"Indeed they can't, so how did you?"

"I didn't."

"Don't lie to me Harry, I might decide to torture you anyway," Riddle threatened.

"Because you can't get what you want without violence?" Harry taunted.

He needed Riddle to get closer to him so he could take him out, and if the other decided to start using magic on him now, Harry would be helpless. No, he needed to lure the other near him and fight him hand to hand. The future Dark Lord hated everything muggle, so he would be terrible with their ways of fighting too no doubt.

"Of course not, it just seems more effective with you," Tom replied.

"It just means you're not doing a good enough job," Harry shot back.

Riddle narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint appearing in them as he glared back at the other.

"I assure you, I could break you whenever I want," he hissed darkly.

"Then why don't you? Scared it wouldn't work?"

With a growl of anger, the future Dark Lord jumped up and stalked back over to Harry, pulling out his wand once more to dig it painfully in the younger male's ribs. Harry had to suppress a wince, but he kept his face completely passive as the older teen leaned closer to his face.

"You have to be _really_ stupid if you think-"

Before Riddle could finish his threat, Harry's head had shot up and crashed into his nose with a satisfying crack. Shouting in pain, Tom staggered backwards, giving Harry the room he needed to jump to his feet. He searched the room with his eyes, but as his wand was nowhere to be seen, he let his focus drift back to Riddle, who had already lifted his wand and sent a blasting curse his way. Harry ducked away just in time and charged the older teen with a low growl emitting from his throat. He tackled Riddle to the ground and straddled his waist, glaring down on the bleeding Dark Lord as the other smirked upwards.

"No matter how much I like this position, I prefer to be the one on top, Darling," Voldemort drawled.

Before Harry could retort, his world flipped upside down and he found himself pinned by Riddle. The yew wand was pointing at his face, digging into his cheek painfully as dark blue eyes glared at him. He didn't give Tom a chance to cast a curse at him and grabbed his wrist in a vice grip, wrenching it away from his face. His free hand connected with the Dark Lord's face, sending the Slytherin off balance. He flipped them over again. He grabbed the yew wand when Tom lost his grip and dug it in its owner's side harshly.

"I should just kill you," he hissed.  
"I'd save millions of lives, Voldemort!"

Dark blue eyes widened fractionally before fury took over. One of Tom's legs wasn't properly pinned and he quickly used that to his advantage by kicking Harry in his solar plexus. Groaning at the impact, Harry leaned forward and Tom took the opportunity to pay him back for his broken nose by smashing his head in Harry's face like the other had done earlier. A sickening crunch sounded through the room and Harry was thrown off Tom. The wand was catapulted from his hand and landed somewhere between the beds.

The two scrambled up and circled each other, blood pouring from their faces and both holding onto their other injuries. Their magic flared around them, lashing out at each other as they appraised one another with heated glares.

Before they could attack again, the door slammed open and Avery, Mulciber and the Lestrange brothers came barging in, eyes wide in worry. The all stilled, staring in shock at the state of their leader and the new student. Mulciber and the oldest Lestrange brother recovered first and quickly sent full body bind curses at Harry. The younger teen was able to evade the first one, but the second hit him full on. With a shout, he dropped down, once again completely immobile.

"Are you alright my Lord? What happened?" Avery asked nervously, approaching Tom to heal his broken nose.

Tom didn't reply, instead, he continued staring at Harry with a thoughtful, calculating look in his dark blue eyes. Several more students started flocking the room and many gasps and murmurs could be heard from them. Dimitri Lestrange passed by Harry, sending the magically incapacitated boy a hateful glare as he picked up Tom's wand and handed it back to his master.

"Move away," Riddle ordered softly.

Lestrange and Mulciber, who were both still keeping Harry at wand point, nodded and took a few steps back. Riddle walked closer, ignoring his audience as he knelt down in front of Harry and muttered the counter spell to free Harry from his invisible bonds. The younger teen sat up immediately, eyeing the Slytherin Heir warily as the yew wand was once more raised towards him. it was the exact same wand that had killed Cedric Diggory. The same one that had tortured him only a few months ago. Now, however, it was used to heal his broken nose.

"What happened here, my Lord?" Mulciber asked curiously.

"We were just having a little spar," Tom told him coolly, not taking his eyes off Harry.  
"Isn't that right, Harry?"

"…Right."

Many questioning glances were levelled at them, but no one dared to ask Tom why on earth he would spar in the dormitory instead of a specialized room somewhere. With one commanding gesture of the future Dark Lord, the students all made themselves scarce again. Tom himself stood up again as well and walked out along with the Lestranges. In the end, only Alphard Black stayed behind with Harry. The young Black heir smiled at him and held out his hand to help the other up.

"That was definitely some spar," he commented.

"You could say that," Harry replied weary, eyeing the other suspicious.

Alphard seemed to be completely oblivious of the other's distrust and grinned wider.

"Well, you sure know how to make a killer party!" he joked.  
"No one ever stands up to Riddle and walks away. Let alone gets healed by the man himself."

Harry nodded in agreement and frowned. Why had Riddle healed him? Most other students in Slytherin answered to him already, so he didn't need to let Harry off the hook to keep up appearances. In fact, Harry was sure that is was a blow to his reputation that he was let off so easily. What was Riddle's game?


	10. Grimm Unmasked

**I'm really stupid and I should learn to re-read my chapters before posting them. I'm sorry for everyone who had to suffer through that failure. Here's the new, updated chapter 10.**

* * *

For the entire next day, Harry found he was constantly being shadowed by one of Riddle's goons. Either Avery, Nott, Rosier or Alphard was constantly by his side, claiming to want to hang out with him as friends instead of the obvious reality of trying to spy for their Lord. His real friends were kept at a distance at all times, and when he was able to talk to them, there was always a Slytherin right there beside him like a body guard overhearing everything. Thus, Harry was unable to warn his friends of Riddle's suspicions on them.

Another unfortunate side effect was that most every other student he wanted to hang out with beside the Slytherin elite was too terrified of his suspiciously hovering companions to hold a proper conversation with him. Even Ron and Ginny had given up early on and decided on avoiding him along with every other Gryffindor the rest of the day. Only Hermione and the twins still tried. They were less put off by Harry's sudden guards and Fred and George took every opportunity to tease Harry about his 'bodyguards' while Hermione took the chance to start a friendly conversation with Alphard when the three of them were in the library.

Before long however, Harry found that he was being left out of the conversation as Hermione eagerly soaked up the stories about the happenings of the Black House. When Alphard changed from simply telling stories to flirting outright, Harry silently took off.

For the first time that day, Harry was able to walk around the halls of the large castle without anyone shadowing him, and it truly was freeing. The constant eyes on his person were really getting on his nerves and he needed to have some time to himself after all that.

He frowned as he thought of his Housemate's behaviour. He knew for a fact that none of them, baring perhaps Alphard, liked him. In fact, most of them resented him. Still, every single one of them treated him like a friend, giving him fake smiles and forcing him to join in on conversations, only to ignore him completely until he tried to sneak away and then pull him back in to continue. It had to do with Riddle, there was no other explanation, so why hadn't the Slytherin Heir himself sought him out yet? He already knew too much, and if Harry had any knowledge of the other's personality than it was that he wouldn't let go until he knew every single one of Harry's most deepest, darkest secrets.

He was forcefully pulled from his thoughts as he bumped into another person. Harry cursed to himself silently and quickly apologized, trying to scurry off immediately after before whoever it was could drag him back into the snakepit, but a warm hand on his shoulder had him pause.

"You alright Harry?" Sirius' deep, soothing voice questioned.

Harry sagged in relief and looked up at his Godfather, grinning apologetically.

"I'm fine, sorry for walking into you like that Sirius," he replied.

"That's alright, Harry. I was trying to get a hold of you anyway," Sirius told him, a serious expression on his usually cheerful face.  
"Thank Merlin I've got the Map, otherwise I'd have missed you again. Those Slytherins have been flocking you an awful lot today. What's going on?"

Harry huffed in anger and glowered at his Godfather. He opened his mouth to explain when the sound of hurried footsteps resounded through the otherwise empty hall. His eyes widened in slight panic, and he grabbed Sirius' arm, dragging him into a shady alcove to hide. Only seconds later, Dimitri Lestrange and Orion Black came rushing past.

Once the two young Slytherins had disappeared behind another corner, Harry and Sirius came out of hiding. Harry looked around himself to verify they were absolutely alone before he turned towards the older man, who was staring at the direction where the two younger teens had disappeared to with a strange expression on his face.

"It's strange to see him that young," he muttered softly to himself.

Harry heard him, but decided not to say anything. Orion would one day be Sirius' father, and though they wouldn't get along, they were still family. It must be extremely weird to Sirius to see his father like that and not be able to say anything. He couldn't warn him of de dangers Tom Riddle brought along. It must be hard to see someone you're that closely related to – or anyone at all – and know how they will die but unable to say or do anything.

"He looks a lot like me, doesn't he?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, but he's a lot more mellow than you. A nice kid, but I think you take more to Alphard," Harry replied smiling.

Another set of voices coming their way had Harry tense up again. Sirius immediately noticed and grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him along into a darker side hallway as a small group of second year Huffelpuffs walked past.

"What is going on Harry? You're jumpy and those Snakes are hounding you. They didn't threaten you or anything did they?" the school's caretaker hissed.

"Sirius, Tom knows."

Dark eyes widened in shock and Sirius reeled back, face ashen at the implication of that statement as he stared at Harry in horror.

"H-how? How does he know? And how much?"

"I don't know. He must have heard us talking or something-… can we go somewhere safer? I don't want them finding us," Harry replied nervously, eyes flitting around himself to make sure no one was around.

Sirius nodded in agreement, expression grave.

"Let's go to the Quidditch pitch," he offered.

"Alright… but can you go as Snuffles? If they find us… who knows what they'll do if they find out I talked."

Again, Sirius nodded and handed Harry the Marauders Map before he quickly changed in his animagus form. Dog and boy both started walking towards the pitch in a comfortable silence. Both were still tense, and looked around themselves. Harry kept one eye constantly on the Map and lead them through paths no Slytherin would find them. It took a bit longer to get to their destination, but at least they weren't caught.

Since Harry didn't have his broom with him, and he wanted to talk with Sirius anyway, the two sat down on the bleachers, enjoying the orange glow of sunset. Harry dropped his hand on top of Padfoot's head and patted him, scratching his Godfather behind the ear affectionally.

"Tom interrogated me yesterday on what we were planning. He heard us saying we were on a mission involving him, and he tried to pressure me into giving up more information," Harry started, careful not to give his Godfather too much information that would worry him.  
"We ended up fighting and nearly destroyed the dorms. Then, when the others found us, he just stopped instead of pressing his advantage and take me down with numbers. Ever since, his followers are stalking me, acting suspiciously friendly."

Sirius whined and pushed his wet dog nose into Harry's thigh as if to comfort him. Harry smiled and petted the black dog's head a bit more. He was grateful to have Sirius around. The ex-convict was the only father figure he'd ever had and he loved him deeply. It was the one thing he was grateful for being here in the past: Sirius and he could be together without having to worry about the older man returning to Azkaban.

"Oi!"

Harry's head shot up at the call and he saw three sixth year Gryffindors walking towards him. Two of them were carrying brooms, and he recognized them as the Quidditch captain McKinnon and the seeker, McLaggen, the grandfather of Cormac McLaggen, the annoying prat. The third was a muggleborn, if he remembered the sneers in his direction from his Housemates. His name was Smith or something like that.

What he did know about this trio was that they were extremely biased against Slytherins. He wondered if many of the present day Gryffindors were like that too. He had never really noticed because he was a Gryffindor as well and never liked any of the Slytherins either. Did that mean he was biased as well? He hoped not.

"Something you want?" he asked casually, scratching a growling Padfoot.

He felt a pang of vindictive pride when McLaggen paused, eyeing the big black dog nervously, though the other two seemed braver and pressed further towards them.

"Yeah. You're here with some evil scheme from your Master, right?" Smith growled.

Harry blinked confused.

"What Master?"

"Oh please! Everyone knows all you Slytherin scum crawl for Riddle," McLaggen huffed.  
"I bet he even got you kneeling. You're a traitor to your own family, Potter."

Padfoot bristled growling and jumped towards the teen, teeth bared dangerously. For a moment, Harry actually thought his transformed Godfather would sink his teeth in McLaggen, but McKinnon was faster.

 **"Stupify!"**

The dog's heavy body dropped to the floor with a thud. Rage filled Harry as he jumped from his seat, wand levelled with McKinnon's face and a disarming charm tumbling from his mouth. The broad shouldered captain of the Gryffindor team flew backwards and several levels down from the bleachers until he landed in the pitch. Both Smith and McLaggen reacted fast.

Before he knew it, Harry was in the middle of a duel with both older students in the cramped space of the bleachers. They were pretty good, as they should be because they were both a year above Harry, but neither had the experience Harry had.

Some of the spells hit home, as Harry was unable to dodge properly in the cramped space, but at least he got just as many in as they did, maybe even more. He hit Smith with a footlocker jinx and got himself blown a few feet backwards by an Expeliarmus from McLaggen in return. He scrambled up right away, but found two wands in his face and no room to block or dodge if they chose to attack again. Harry grit his teeth and got ready to take a blow, readying himself to counter after and hoping they'd use some less harmful spell.

"That's enough."

All three of them tensed at the commanding voice and turned towards Tom Riddle, who was idly twirling his wand while eyeing them with a smirk. When he noticed he had their full attention, he pushed off the seat he had taken a bit further in the back of the tribune and strolled over.

"I would like a word with my 'servant' in private," he spoke to the two Gryffindors.

Harry scowled at the addressing and tightened his grip on his wand, glaring at Riddle. To his surprise, both Gryffindors immediately left. Riddle waited patiently until they were out of the quidditch pitch before he stepped closer to Harry.

"And they called me a follower," Harry muttered, eyeing the other warily.

Riddle chuckled and grabbed his chin, looking his face over for injuries, leaning a bit too closely in for Harry's comfort.

"Don't worry, I won't expect you to kneel. Yet," the young Dark Lord teased.

"Yeah, you wish Riddle," Harry shot back almost immediately.

"I always get what I want."

The green eyed wizard blinked and frowned at the comment and pulled his head away from the older teen's examining hands. He took a step back, glowering wearily at the taller boy, who just looked back blankly. After a second, Riddle sighed and drew his wand, pointing it at Padfoot.

 **"Renevate."**

With a shudder and a yip, the large dog was once more awake, and with another swirl of Tom's wand, he transformed back into Sirius. Harry was startled at that and quickly held up his wand at Riddle's chest, glaring at him. Sirius too grabbed his own wand, pointing it at the young Slytherin Heir. Riddle just cocked his head.

"Would you two really attack an innocent student?" he asked.

"You're hardly innocent, Dark Lord," Harry hissed.

"You know that and I know that, but the teachers don't," Tom replied smirking.  
"Honestly Harry, I just stopped you from getting into trouble and you repay me by threatening me?"

"You drugged me and tried to torture me!"

"That was ages ago, really, are you that petty as to keep holding it over me?"

"It was yesterday night!" Harry shouted frustrated.

"You did _what_ to my godson?" Sirius hissed, jabbing his wand in Tom's ribs.

The young Voldemort levelled him with an unimpressed look and slapped the offending weapon away from his person.

"The school board would be interested to know they hired an unregistered animagus, don't you think?" he asked smoothly.  
"I do believe the punishment of that is a trip to Azkaban."

Sirius paled at the mention of the wizard prison and quickly dropped his wand arm, taking a few steps back, shaking his head frantically. Tom raised a brow at the reaction, an undefined glint in his eyes that Harry didn't like at all.

"Interesting."

"What do you want, Riddle," Harry growled.

"Information. Was yesterday not a hint to my objectives?"

"You're not getting anything from us," Harry challenged.

"What are you so afraid of?" Riddle asked in return.  
"Me? What did I do to you that you hate me so much? How do you know about me?"

"None of your business!"

"It's about me. I dare say that makes it my business."

Harry grit his teeth and glared hatefully at the older boy before him. Riddle kept his face completely expressionless in return. After a few minutes in absolute silence, Tom sighed and turned around, walking away from Harry and Sirius with a graceful shrug of his shoulders.

"I'll find out who you are eventually," he told them.  
"Even if I have to destroy you to get the information."

A shiver of terror ran over Harry's spine at the promise, his entire body gone rigid as he watched at Tom's retreating form. He seemed so normal, so _vulnerable_. If he lifted his wand and said the right words, there would be no Tom Riddle anymore, no Voldemort. Everyone would be safe. Harry took a shivering breath and looked up at Sirius helplessly. What could they do?


	11. Peeved

**KassieJean: Yes, I know I went the obvious route now, but I can assure you, that will eventually change. It's a pretty slow burn story I guess, so it might take until well in 20+ chapters before the real stuff happens. Until then, I like the obvious things :)**

 **Thanks for Reviewing! Please keep doing so :)**

* * *

Breakfast that morning was incredibly awkward, at least to Harry. Just like the day before he was forced to take the seat next to Riddle, all other spots conveniently blocked and a handful of Slytherins ready to follow after him should he decide to go sit with his friends at the Gryffindor or Ravenclaw table. He was almost tempted to simply go sit with some random Hufflepuffs just to spite them and Riddle.

Just like before, Riddle didn't even bother to acknowledge him as he sat down reluctantly and grabbed a piece of toast. He glanced over to Alphard to start a casual conversation when he noticed something wrong with his semi-friend. The dark haired Black Heir was extremely pale and had dark bags under his eyes. If he squinted, Harry could see the barely there shimmer of glamours on the other boy's face and his head snapped over to Riddle.

"What the _Hell_ did you do?" he hissed furiously.

"Whoever said I did anything?" the Slytherin Heir replied innocently.

"Because it's bloody you!"

Riddle's head snapped over at him, dark blue eyes shining with something terrifying.

"And who am I Harry?" he asked lowly.  
"How do you know me? _What_ do you know about me?"

Harry glared at him for a few seconds before he stood abruptly with the intention to leave the Great Hall. Before he could walk away, strong fingers curled around his wrist and yanked him back down. Green clashed with challenging dark blue in a heated staring competition that ended only when Riddle turned away to continue eating and let go of Harry's arm.

"Eat some more, Harry," he ordered calmly.  
"You'll need the nutrition."

Harry could clearly hear the threat in those words and he narrowed his eyes at Riddle. He wanted to tell him that he wasn't his boss, but Nicolas Lestrange, who was seated on his other side dumped a copious amount of scrambled eggs on his plate before he could stop him.

"You're already skinny as all hell, Potter," the broad shouldered 6th year told him in a tone a parent would use to scold their child.

"It's not healthy not to eat you know," Mulciber, who was sitting opposite of them added wisely.

"It's not healthy to stuff your face like a pig either," Rosier commented, looking disdainfully at Mulciber while the older student shovelled food into his mouth as if it were a sport.

"It's really disgusting," Avery nodded.

"You're like an untrained animal, Mulciber," Nott put in his two sickles.

Harry sent a desperate look towards Sirius, who was sitting tensely at the teacher's table, dark eyes glaring scornfully at Tom Riddle before they moved to Harry and softened. The older man smiled in encouragement and Harry smiled back, knowing that his Godfather would not abandon him.

. . . . .

When Harry walked into the History classroom together with his housemates, he found Megan Yaxley once more make a beeline towards Ron, not giving him a chance to catch up with his red haired friend at all. Unlike the first time this had happened, Ron didn't seem bothered at all and just grinned at the beautiful Slytherin girl. Yaxley smirked back, making Harry narrow his eyes at the duo.

Avery and Rosier took seats together as well, making sure to stay close to their Lord, who sat on his own in the front row. Riddle seemed awfully smug and he glanced at Harry, smiling and patting the empty seat beside him. Harry huffed in annoyance and instead took a seat next to Alphard.

The young Black heir tensed, eyes widening in slight horror as Riddle glared murderously at the two of them. Harry almost regretted his decision as he didn't want Alphard to get into any more trouble because of him, but there was no way he would play Riddle's game. Besides, he needed to talk with the dark haired boy anyway.

"What did he do to you?" Harry asked in a low hiss.

Alphard looked at him in a sideway glance but didn't reply. Before Harry could press further on the topic, professor Binns entered the classroom and started droning about the goblin wars. In a matter of minutes, the entire class was lulled in state of peaceful half-sleep.

When class finally ended, Harry waited until most people had left the class and grabbed Alphard to keep him behind as well. Ron passed together with Megan, too deep in a heated discussion with the girl to even greet his friend. Harry wasn't all that bothered at the time. He needed to talk to Alphard.

"Can I ask for a favour?" he asked softly.

Alphard looked at him suspiciously before he gave a curt nod.

"When we have Defence, will you talk to Hermione for me? Tell her… tell her Riddle is really smart, she'll understand what I mean with that."

Alphard frowned, but nodded once more, his lips pressed into a thin straight line.

"Alright, but you do something for me too," he replied.  
"Whatever your problem is with Riddle, leave me out of it."

"I will, I promise," Harry said immediately.  
"I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday."

The two of them exited the classroom and walked together towards DADA, where most of their classmates were already talking and messing around. They spotted Hermione talking with Octavian Weasley in one of the first rows, and Alphard hesitated. He looked towards the brunette for a moment before turning back towards Harry.

"Remember what I told you in the common room the first day?" he asked softly.

Harry nodded, confused.

"You should have listened and stayed out of his way. You'll hurt her and the other Weasleys with how you're going now," Alphard warned before he walked towards the two Ravenclaws and took the seat next to Hermione. Harry gave a fond smile when he saw his best friend blush at Alphard's greeting. It seemed they were getting along better than he had thought before.

"What were you and Alphard talking about?"

Harry jumped in fright at the sudden question next to his ear and turned around, facing a smirking Tom Riddle. He blushed at the extreme closeness between them as he stared right at Tom's shoulder and not for the first time did he curse his lack in height, especially compared to the tall teen.

"Nothing that concerns you," he replied bitterly.

"I doubt that."

"Fine! I asked him what you did to him!"

"And what did he answer?"

Harry realized his mistake when he saw a dangerous glint appearing in Riddle's dark blue eyes. He had just promised Alphard to keep him out of his business with the future Dark Lord and now he was already getting him in trouble again.

"He didn't say anything," Harry spat, glaring furiously at Riddle.  
"You must be really proud of yourself, torturing him and still holding on to his loyalty. It'll run out eventually you know, and what will you be when they all realize what a pathetic little-"

A wand dug painfully in Harry's side and he tensed. Riddle's eyes had gone completely cold, his expression blank from the smugness that had lit it up earlier. Harry's eyes widened as he felt a small tremor of fear run down his spine. He was more terrifying like this, he noted. Nothing like the unstable, insane shadow of a man he would be in the future, but sane and intelligent and so much more dangerous. Harry felt he couldn't possibly predict Tom's actions in the same way he did Voldemort's. His lack of knowledge about this version of his enemy was incredibly scary.

Tom blinked and his wand was dropped. Without saying another word, the teenage Dark Lord turned away from Harry and walked towards an empty seat. Avery quickly took the seat next to his Lord after a small head motion while Rosier and Yaxley sat together in the back. Glad that he was no longer under wand point, Harry took a seat next to Octavian Weasley.

"Hey," he greeted the redhead.  
"Octavian Weasley, right?"

"Yeah," the other boy smiled. His grin seemed too bright, too happy for someone who would end up killing himself before the end of the year.  
"You're Harry Potter. Cousin Hermione said some great things about you."

"Y-yeah… you're the younger brother of Septimus, aren't you?"

"I'm the younger brother of a lot of people," Octavian joked, but his smile got a big more strained.  
"I'm the eighth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I got a lot to live up to. Most of my siblings have already left — Quintin was Head Boy and Sexta was the first girl to make it as captain of Quidditch. Now Septimus' a prefect. Primus, Adjutor and Tertius are dead, but they're hailed as war heroes and Quartus works at the American Ministry of Magic. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first."

Harry had an awful sense of Déja Vu, and he wondered if it was a regular thing for the youngest Weasley spawns to feel this way as he had heard the exact same speech from Ron in their first year. He guessed it might actually be worse for Octavian than it had been for his best friend, because he was number eight, while Ron was only number six.

Professor Merrythought started the lesson with explaining what the students could be expecting in their OWL's for DADA and how she wouldn't allow any students with less than E back in her class next year. Harry wasn't all that worried. He was the second best in their year, immediately after Tom, infuriatingly, and even had firs hand experiences in battle. Not that anyone knew about that here.

They were halfway through the lesson, when a loud crash from out in the hallway startled several of the students. The professor stopped her speech and looked at the door. She was about to dismiss the noise when more commotion was heard. Huffing in anger, the old woman drew her wand and stormed out of the class. For a short moment, everything was silent before Peeves suddenly swooped in, laughing maniacally as he was chased by the old professor and Sirius.

The classroom erupted in pure chaos when the poltergeist dropped several stink bombs on the students. Yaxley shouted in fury when the sticky, smelly potion inside the bombs splattered all over her long brown hair and she whipped out her wand, sending dark curse after dark curse at the floating, giggling Peeves. Several of the other students panicked and had to dive away from the continues stream of curses they were supposed to learn how to counter.

In the midst of panic, Harry felt how his arm was being grabbed and he was dragged away. Before he knew it, he was taken out into the hallway, were thick clouds of gag-inducing green clouds made it impossible to get anywhere. His kidnapper – Riddle, why didn't that bastard leave him alone for just half a day? – waved his wand casually, and the smoke parted. Harry tried to struggle, but Riddle's grip was vicelike and unrelenting.

They reached an empty classroom and the teenage Dark Lord roughly shoved Harry inside before closing the door and locking it with several locking charms. A feeling of dread came over Harry when Riddle continued on with silencing charms and protective wards. Were he to be killed right now, there would be no one to save him.

When Tom was finally done, he turned to face Harry with a dark glint in his dark blue eyes and Harry swallowed nervously. Riddle approached with large, determined steps, backing a fearful Harry into the wall. He smirked at the nervous look on Harry's face and leaned closer, putting his hands on the wall next to Harry's head and caging him in easily.

"What are you doing?" Harry hissed furiously, trying – and failing – to sound steady.

Instead of replying, Tom smirked and grabbed Harry's chin between thumb and pointer finger before smashing their mouths together in a violent, hungry kiss. Harry's eyes widened and he struggled against the powerful hold the older teen had on him, but all his fight left him when a skilful tongue swept over his lips, demanding entry. Harry parted his lips unconsciously, giving Tom the perfect opportunity to plunge his tongue in and map out every part of Harry's wet cavern. Tom was very skilful, and Harry could feel his knees growing weak at the sensual attack. Before he knew what was going on, he had melted into the kiss and reciprocated, threading his hands into Tom's soft curls and pulling him closer.

Too soon, but at the same to not soon enough, they parted. Harry was panting harshly, his entire face flushed. He stared wide-eyed at Tom, pupils blown up so large that his bright green eyes were almost entirely black and he opened his kiss-swollen mouth incomprehensibly. Tom chuckled and brushed his lips against Harry's again before pressing their foreheads together. Their hot, panting breaths mixed together and swirled in between the little space separating them.

"I suppose you still won't tell me what you know?" Tom asked softly.

The pleasant feelings drained from Harry instantly and they were replaced by rage and humiliation. Of course that had been the bastard's goal all along! How stupid could he be to actually believe Tom felt anything for him like that? How could he even want Tom to feel like that? They were enemies, he hated Voldemort with everything he had, no matter what form he took.

"You won't get anything out of me!" he growled, shoving the young Dark Lord away from himself.

Tom laughed and drew his wand, grinning at Harry with a far too smug expression on his handsome features. Harry hated it.

"I hoped you'd say something like that," Tom said almost cheerfully.

"What?" Harry asked confused.

He wanted to get his own wand, but found it missing from his pocket. Green eyes snapped towards Tom's left hand and as expected, his very own Holly and Phoenix feather dangled casually from thin, long fingers. Tom had stolen it from Harry while they were kissing.

"You fucking-"

 **"** **Legilimens!"**


	12. Secret No More

The room was bathed in utter silence as Harry and Tom stared at each other. The only sound was their harsh breathing. For the first time since his arrival in the past, Harry could see complete, unguarded surprise written all over the young Dark Lord's face. His wand arm was still raised, but it was trembling slightly. Even though his head was pounding like mad from the mind attack, Harry smiled grimly as he saw the fear in those dark eyes.

"…You're from the future?" Tom asked shocked.

He lowered his wand and stepped up to Harry, grasping his chin and raising his head. Harry winced at the movement as it made his headache worsen. He tried to back up, but he was already pinned against the wall and couldn't escape Tom's grip.

"That's why you hate me, isn't it? Not for what I did, but what I _will do_."

"Don't touch me," Harry whispered, turning his head away.

Tom ignored him and gripped his chin tighter, forcing him to look up at him into cold, dark blue eyes. The green eyed wizard swallowed nervously and pressed himself harder against the wall. This had the opposite effect as Tom just pressed closer, caging Harry in further.

"What is it that I'll do, Harry? Why is it so important that I'm stopped?"

"I said don't touch me!"

With more force than Harry knew he had in him, he pushed Tom away from him, making the taller teen stagger a bit before he regained his balance and raised his wand again. With a dark glint in his eyes, Tom also raised Harry's own wand, making the time traveling hero tense up.

"Don't be such a girl Harry," he drawled casually.  
"It's not like I raped you or anything. Besides…"

He smirked and pocketed both wands before stepping up to Harry and grasping his chin. With a smug expression, he brushed his lips against Harry's jaw, slowly dragging them over the other's tan skin until they rested against the shell of his ear.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself too," he whispered.

Harry shivered visibly and his hands came up to grasp Tom's shoulders. The taller teen smirked against his skin before pulling away. He observed Harry's flustered appearance with a smugness that made Harry frown and sat down on one of the school desks.

"Will I try to kill you?" he asked quietly.  
"You have a curse scar linked to me and you claim to have survived the killing curse."

"I never said that," Harry muttered uselessly.

Tom's expression darkened and he glared at him.

"Don't ever lie to me Harry," he spoke dangerously.  
"You called me Dark Lord and Voldemort before, both are my aliases but I've been careful to make sure only my followers know of them. That you know them either means you were a follower – which I doubt because your scar is old enough to fit the story that you got it as a baby – or the name became famous. Am I famous in the future Harry? Do I rule wizarding Britain?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Harry replied bitterly.

His green eyes bore into Tom's dark blue ones, burning with hatred and humiliation. The Avada Kedavra curse lying in them seemed to come alive and tried to strike at the teenage Dark Lord.

"No? Then tell me," Tom demanded coldly.  
"You're trying to stop me from becoming something you don't like. You blame me for the deaths of many people – you said yourself that killing me would save hundreds of lives. You have nightmares nearly every night. You mutter things about a certain Cedric. Most of our roommates have already concluded that he is your ex-boyfriend."

Harry turned completely red at that and he pulled away.

"He's- he's not!" he yelped flustered.  
"Cedric… he was a friend. Voldemort killed him last year because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"My condolences," Tom deadpanned.

The green eyed time traveller glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don't say those things when you don't mean them," he growled.  
"Besides, it's stupid to apologize when you're the one who killed him... going to kill him… Whatever!"

"I thought the plan was to make sure I won't turn out to be him?" Tom replied smirking.  
"And in that case, your comment is invalid, because it would mean I'm not going to kill him."

"Why are you so sure of that?" Harry asked suspicious.

"Why are _you_ so sure of it?" Tom shot back grinning.

The reaction startled Harry and he frowned deeply, glaring at Tom as he crossed his arms over his chest. He seemed absolutely positive that he was right in his guess and it angered Harry more.

"Who says I am?" he asked coldly.

"I'm still alive, am I not? If you really thought I was beyond saving, you'd have tried to kill me by now," the Slytherin Heir replied.

Harry shifted nervously from one foot to the other and glanced over to the door, which was still locked and warded. Tom cocked his head innocently and smirked.

"I want to leave now," Harry said, glaring at the other teen.

Tom rolled his eyes and swung his wand, muttering a 'finite incantatem' before pulling out Harry's own wand and holding it out for the other. Harry quickly grabbed it and made to leave. However, before he could, his wrist was caught and he was pulled to a halt. Harry turned his head to look at Tom, who suddenly had a dangerous expression in his dark eyes.

"Who said I want to be changed?" he asked softly.  
"Do you know how cruel it is to just walk into someone's life wanting them to become a different person?"

"If you knew what you'd become, you'd beg me to change you," Harry replied just as quietly.

"Then tell me," the teenage Dark Lord ordered, tightening his grip on Harry's arm.

"No."

"And why is that?" Tom hissed frustrated.  
"You already admitted to wanting me to change. How will you make that happen if I don't know what I'm changing _from_?"

"Because I value my life too much!" Harry growled back.

Tom blinked and loosened his grip. Harry took the opportunity to pull his arm free and storm out of the room, face red in anger as he returned to the classroom. Most of the other students were no longer present, and even the teacher was gone, but both Hermione and Alphard were still there, obviously waiting for Harry to return. Once they noticed him, Hermione jumped up from her seat and rushed over, eyes wide in worry.

"Harry!" she called, hugging him tightly.  
"I was so worried when you and Riddle disappeared! Are you alright? Alphard told me… how much does he know?"

"Know what?" Alphard asked, frowning.  
"What are you up to? He- he's not going to be angry at me again is he? If you tricked me Potter-"

"Relax, Alphard," Tom drawled casually from the door.  
"I won't punish you for your lack of knowledge."

The three already in the room tensed and stared at the young Slytherin Heir with frightened, deer-in-the-headlights expressions. Tom smirked amused before he walked in further, stopping right in front of them and putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. The green eyed wizard scowled and shrugged it off again quickly, not wanting to have anything more to do with the teenage Dark Lord.

"I just came across professor Merrythought. We're all supposed to go back to our common rooms," he said calmly.

"Really?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Do you call me a liar?" Tom asked, eyes glinting dangerously.

Harry wanted to say yes, but he kept his mouth shut with the threatening look in young Voldemort's dark blue eyes. He glowered instead and brushed past the older teen, stomping off towards the common room. Tom grinned and looked towards Hermione.

"Sorry to steal the boys away from you, miss Weasley," he said softly.

"Th-that's okay," the brunette mumbled blushing.

"See you later the, Hermione," Alphard waved before rushing out with Tom.

The two Slytherins caught up with Harry easily enough, but the green eyed teen simply ignored both of them, a deep scowl edged on his face as he continued walking towards the dungeons. They were nearly there when suddenly, Peeves jumped out from behind an armour, glaring at Tom.

"I did what you told me, Riddle, now get the Bloody Baron off my back!" the poltergeist demanded.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Tom in shock before the expression turned to fury.

"You set this all up?!" he shouted angrily.

Tom smirked amused.

"Didn't you find it strangely convenient that Peeves attacked _our_ class just when _I_ wanted to talk to you?" he teased.

Peeves cackled and patted Harry's head with a wide grin on his face while Harry glared at Tom, cheeks heating up in embarrassment at his obliviousness. Alphard just stared at the whole exchange, frowning in confusion as they talked about things he didn't understand.

"What you did was _not_ talking to me!" Harry growled.  
"That's called sexual harassment and interrogation!"

"I didn't hear you objecting," Tom shot back smirking.  
"In fact, I do believe I remember you kissing back _very_ passionately."

Harry blushed bright red all the way to the tips of his ears. Alphard raised a brow, his lips tugging in an amused smile while Peeves started cackling loudly. A few other students in the corridor turned their heads towards them, but were too afraid of the Slytherins to openly stare.

"Riddle and Potter, sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G!" Peeves sang obnoxiously, loud enough for the bypassing students to hear.

Some of the Gryffindor students walking the opposite direction they were stopped in their tracks to see what the ruckus was about. Harry's blush deepened possibly worse and he shrunk into himself, hunching his shoulders and wishing he could just disappear. Tom chuckled and wound an arm around the smaller teen's waist, making Harry tense up even more. His lips brushed against Harry's burning ear and a hot puff of air was blown into the sensitive shell.

"Are you ashamed?" he whispered teasingly.

"I don't want people to think I'm your bloody boyfriend, Riddle!" Harry hissed furiously as he shoved Tom away.

"Whoever said anything about boyfriends, Sweetheart?" the Slytherin Heir smirked.

Both Alphard and Peeves howled out in a fit of laughter as Harry turned red enough that it made bystanders wonder how he could possibly still have blood left anywhere else in his body. Tom snickered and embraced Harry from behind, putting his chin on the shorter boy's shoulder as he softly kissed his ear.

"I might be growing a bit fond of you, darling, but I'm not quite there yet. Don't get too clingy."

With a growl, Harry turned around in his grip and pushed Tom off, glaring hatefully at the older Slytherin. Tom just chuckled and made a small hand gesture to order his two Housemates to follow him. Harry wanted to tell him to shove off, but Alphard grabbed him by his shoulder and shoved him forward towards the dungeons.

"Don't get me into _more_ trouble, Potter," he hissed in warning.

Harry looked over to his friend and nodded sullenly. He'd have to go along with Tom for now, lest he'd break his promise to Alphard and get him pulled into his and the young Dark Lord's rivalry, or how you'd want to call it really. To be honest, he didn't really have a name for what they were.


	13. Just Friends

Harry was a bit disorientated when Tom suddenly stopped pestering him about his secrets. He was no longer being followed around by other Slytherins and he could once more talk with his friends without having to be worried he'd be pulled away by Lestrange or Mulciber.

He was still worried of course. In fact, he was more on edge than usual. Alphard hung out often with them, and though both Ginny and especially Ron were uncomfortable with the Slytherin, Hermione seemed delighted.

Next to all this, Tom still insisted on Harry's presence by his side and he had become used to eating next to the Heir. From that point forward, they were also partners in most of their classes, excluding Care for magical Creatures, which Tom didn't take, and Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, which Harry didn't follow. He was getting used to that too, and his grades greatly improved with the young Dark Lord's assistance.

Ron and Ginny were still very much suspicious of Tom's plans of course, and so was Harry. But as days turned in weeks, and weeks in a whole month, he couldn't find it in himself to doubt the Slytherin Heir any longer. In fact, Harry found that he enjoyed spending time with the other more and more.

Tom still flirted with him. Still touched him intimately and held him close. He had taken to holding Harry's hand when he wanted the other to go somewhere, and Harry returned the favour automatically, physically dragging Tom to quidditch practice when they were too involved in another one of their longwinded discussions about magic or one of their classes so he wouldn't be too late. Others found it strange, but to Harry and Tom it came natural at this point. Besides, it wasn't like they were dating or anything. In fact, after that one time, they hadn't kissed again nor had the kiss been brought up afterwards.

Right at the moment, however, Harry was studying alongside Ron, Ginny and another Gryffindor 5th year named Lyall Lupin. He didn't look particularly like his future son, Remus, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, a strongly defined square jaw and wide shoulders. The one thing Harry had learned about him, however, was that he was incredibly biased against Slytherins, as he had immediately complained about Ron inviting Harry over. The two Weasleys had made it very clear they wanted Harry with them, and Lyall had grudgingly agreed.

"Can someone explain to me again _why_ we have to write an essay on an invisible creature?" Ron groaned out as he dropped his feather on his mostly empty page.

"Thestrals aren't invisible," Lyall told him.  
"They cannot be seen by people who haven't seen anyone die. That's why they have a bad reputation as Dark Creatures."

Ginny and Ron immediately glanced over to Harry.

"That means you can see them, right Harry?" Ginny asked.

Lupin frowned and glared at the dark haired Slytherin, unhappy that the two Weasleys didn't pay more attention to him.

"I do, yeah," Harry nodded.

"What do they look like?" Ron asked eagerly.  
"I bet if we give a good description of them, they'll give us better points."

"You could find an accurate description in books too," Lyall muttered.  
"Potter wouldn't even have to have seen one to know what they looked like. Just saying he does means nothing."

Harry rolled his eyes at the bitter tone Lupin used, but didn't say anything about it. Ron, on the other hand seemed about ready to argue, but a gentle hand pressing down on Harry's shoulder had all conversation fall silent.

"Harry did see a Thestral," Tom spoke calmly, looking at Lupin with a blank expression.  
"Nor are the book descriptions as accurate as you seem to think. Personally, I find them quite lacking."

"How would you know?" Lupin sneered.

"Because Thestrals pull the Hogwarts carriages," Tom replied.  
"Harry can't have gotten here without seeing one. Especially since the traumatic experience of seeing his friend die in front of him mere months before coming the Britain. Isn't that right Harry?"

Harry winced at the reminder of Cedric's murder and nodded, unable to look Tom in the eye. He knew it wasn't _Tom_ who had killed Cedric, but he still couldn't quite shake the feeling that his friend was just as much responsible as he was himself for not being able to save him.

"What are you doing here, Riddle?" Ginny bit out, glaring hatefully at the Slytherin Heir.

"I just came to tell Harry that he should invite you and your siblings to the Slytherin Halloween party this Saturday," Tom replied coolly.  
"I talked about it with the older students and they all agree you are welcome. If Harry wants you there, that is."

"Of course I want them to come!" Harry said grinning.  
"Thanks, Tom, I really appreciate you doing this."

"Anything for you, Darling," the teenage Dark Lord replied smirking.

"Guys!"

Harry looked up to find Hermione and Octavian Weasley walking towards their table in the otherwise mostly empty library. The brunette smiled brightly and waved at them before she took the seat next to Harry while Octavian sat down across from them. Tom sighed and dropped his hand from Harry's shoulder straightening up with a cool expression on his features.

"And that would be my cue to leave again. See you in the common room in an hour, Harry?"

"Yeah, sure," Harry muttered with a casual shrug from his shoulders.

"He doesn't really seem to like me, does he?" Hermione asked, sighing.

"Why would you want him to like you anyway?" Ginny scoffed.  
"He's an absolute bastard! And a bloody smug one at that."

"Well, he's Harry's friend isn't he?" Hermione shot back.

"Not really," Ron shrugged frowning.  
"Harry probably just acts civil around him because he doesn't really have a choice, right mate?"

Lupin narrowed his eyes at Harry, clearly sceptical about the conviction of Ron, and Harry looked away feeling oddly guilty. The others, namely the girls and Octavian caught on almost immediately and while Octavian sniggered in silent amusement, and Ginny glared as if Harry had betrayed her, Hermione sighed in exasperation and hit her fake twin in the arm.

"Mione, what?" the red haired boy yelped.

"Even if Harry really is friends with Riddle, we'll support him and do our best to be friends with him too, _right Ronald_?!" she hissed darkly.

Ron looked like he was about to argue, but when he saw Harry's expression, his eyes widened and he nodded quickly.

"Sure! I mean, I guess if Harry can hang out with him genuinely, than he can't be that bad, right?" he replied awkwardly.

"You can't mean that! After everything he's-" Ginny started, but Harry's hand on her arm had her pause.

"But Tom didn't do anything, did he Gin? We can't blame him for things _that person_ did just because he reminds us of him," Harry told her quietly.

Ginny glared at him and stood up from her seat abruptly. Without speaking a single word, she grabbed her stuff together and stormed out of the library. Harry sighed sadly and looked at his two remaining friends in desperation. With an apologetic smile, Ron stood up as well.

"Don't worry about it, mate, she'll come around," he said.  
"I'll talk to her. See you in classes tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Harry replied weakly.

Lupin gave him a stink eye and quickly followed after the two Gryffindor Weasleys while the two Ravenclaws stayed behind. Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic smile and put a comforting hand on his arm while Octavian had a wide, knowing grin on his face.

"If they react like that already, imagine what it'll be when they find out you and Riddle are actually in love with each other," he commented amused.

Harry's face exploded red in embarrassment.

"I'm not!" he yelped blushing.

"You are," Octavian replied with a certainty he hadn't heard from the redhead before.  
"You're just in denial, but Riddle isn't, so I doubt you'll be for long either."

Hermione had to slap both of her hands over her mouth to silence her giggles when she saw Harry's expression.


	14. All Hallows Eve

_**You can consider this an apoligy for my weird updating schedule I guess...**_

 _ **Normally, I do my best to make sure I post very consistently, but somehow I seem to have trouble with doing so for this story. I'll try harder to do so from now on.**_

* * *

When Halloween finally came around, Harry was in quite the low mood, as he usually was on that particular day. He never really trusted Halloween. Something always happened on that day, and even if nothing did happen, it was still the day that his parents had died.

For this reason, he'd hauled himself up in the far back of the library between the comics and fictional stories because there was very little chance anyone would come looking for him there. Ron, Fred and George rarely ever came in the library anyway, and Hermione and Tom both practically avoided this part like a disease.

The only one who might think of going there was Ginny, and she was currently really angry at him for hanging out with Tom. Once she figured out Harry really did enjoy the older boy's company, she refused to talk to him. It was quite disconcerting.

"Harry!"

The boy looked up startled and smiled when he saw his godfather approaching him. He hadn't seen much of Sirius the past few weeks due to Peeves' increased mayhem. Harry suspected Tom might have had a hand in that.

"Sirius, how've you been?" he asked.

"Been hunting the bloody poltergeist," Sirius muttered.  
"Honestly, if I had known how terrible all the pranks are from the perspective of a caretaker, I'd…"

Harry grinned in amusement as Sirius frowned in thought. The former Marauder seemed to realize he would have been a joker no matter what he had known and he just shrugged.

"… never mind. How've you been lately, Harry?"

"I've been great, really," Harry replied smiling, before turning sad.  
"But Gin refuses to talk to me after our last run-in with Tom."

Sirius lost all playfulness as well, and he looked at Harry worriedly.

"You have been getting really close with him lately," he muttered.

Harry frowned and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"I did," he admitted readily.  
"Wasn't that the plan? I get close to him and save lots of lives."

"I know, I know," Sirius sighed, suddenly looking very tired.  
"I'm still allowed to worry about my godson though. We both know what he can do. You more than anyone know what kind of man he becomes in the future. I just don't want to see you hurt."

A squeak was heard behind us, and Harry turned around quickly, eyes wide in horror as he saw the brown haired Ravenclaw third year with large foggy glasses and pimples all over her face. Even alive, she was easily recognized as Moaning Myrtle: Myrtle Warren! She stared at Harry and Sirius, eyes wide and hands slapped over her mouth. Moments passed in complete silence before the young girl turned away and fled the library.

"Wait!" Harry called after her, but he was already too late. The girl was gone.

"That could be a problem," Sirius muttered.  
"We should look for a place to talk more privately from now on."

"I think that's a good idea…" Harry replied softly.

. . . . .

When it was time for the party at Slytherin to start, Harry was nervously waiting for his friends near the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Hermione joined him soon enough, and the two started talking about classes and how they differed from the ones they used to take in the future.

"Look at that, Traitor Potter has come to recruit the Weasleys for Riddle's army!"

Hermione and Harry fell silent and glared at Dennis McLaggen as the older boy approached them. All three of them had their wands tightly clutched in their hands as they sized each other up.

"If I remember it right, you guys were the ones to run off when Tom told you to, not me," Harry told the Gryffindor seeker.

McLaggen growled in anger, but Harry kept a completely blank face. He wasn't that worried about what the bulky 6th year might do. As it was, McLaggen wasn't even given the chance to do anything, as Fred, George, Ron and Ginny exited the Tower and walked up to them. The twins gave their house mate the stink eye as they strode over, quickly flanking Harry and Hermione as they kept a close eye on the other 6th year.

"Harry, 'Mione!" Ron greeted them loudly, eying McLaggen doubtfully.  
"You guys haven't been waiting here for long have you?"

"A few minutes is all," Hermione replied smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, we're all happy to see each other again," Fred said, rolling his eyes.  
"After all, it has been _hours_ since our last get together in the library."

"Now let's go. I heard that those Slytherin parties are wicked," George grinned.

The rest of the group, excluding Ginny, who still looked upset, laughed at the comment and they all started on their way to the dungeons, ignoring the fuming McLaggen standing in the hallway.

. . . . .

Harry quietly nursed his glass of firewiskey while listening with a half ear at his two best friends arguing. Ginny was still sitting in the corner of the room pouting, her two older brothers huddled close to her as the whispered jokes about the students they saw in an attempt to make her smile, while Alphard tried to calm down Ron and Hermione. It seemed he was feeling pretty awkward having gotten in between the 'sibling' bond. Still, Harry was unable to focus on that as his mind kept going back towards Myrtle. He wondered what he should do about it.

He brought his drink to his lips, but stopped himself before the burning liquid could leave the glass and enter his mouth. Last time he'd drunk anything like this, it'd been drugged by Tom. He didn't think the older teen would try that again, but it stuck in his mind and now he couldn't enjoy the beverage anymore. Not that he'd ever liked alcohol all that much. And maybe he could talk to Myrtle and make her understand how important it was she kept her mouth shut, or make her believe what she heard was wrong, that shouldn't be too hard.

"Bloody hell, Ron!" he heard Hermione yell exasperated.  
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't dance with Alphard!"

"I don't trust Black, that's why!" Ron shouted back.

By now, half the common room was staring at the duo, and Harry could see Alphard was getting slightly embarrassed. Harry wondered if he should go help out. They were his friends after all, but the fight was just too stupid for words. Ron just didn't like Alphard on principle because he was a Slytherin. Maybe he should just obliviate her, Myrtle that is, and Merlin! His thoughts were getting jumbled up here.

"Harry," Tom whispered in his ear.

Harry jumped, not having noticed Tom's approach. The older teen seemed happy about that and he smirked at Harry before grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the group.

"I want to talk to you in private if possible," he said as he lead Harry out of the common room and into the dungeons.

"Sure," Harry replied distracted, looking at his still untouched glass in his hand.  
"As long as I don't end up drugged again."

Tom laughed at that, but didn't confirm nor deny anything. As they reached a quiet, out of sight alcove, Tom pulled Harry inside and pressed him against the wall.

"I was wondering why you were so distracted during the party in there," he said, eying Harry thoughtfully.

Harry's eyes widened and he quickly looked away to prevent any form of Legilimens.

"It's nothing," he muttered.

"If it's nothing, then look at me."

Harry swallowed, his heart was hammering against his ribcage as he considered his options. In the end, he caved and looked up, keeping his eyes firmly trained on Tom's hairline to prevent eye contact. Tom, however, wouldn't have any of that and he grabbed Harry's chin and forced the younger boy to meet his dark blue eyes with bright green. A pale thumb swiped over Harry's lower lip, before pressing against them. Harry's mouth opened almost automatically and Tom let his thumb enter the soft mouth, pressing down on the other's tongue.

"What are you so afraid of?" Tom whispered in his ear, a smirk appearing on his face.  
"Not me, we both know it is something else. Nor is it about the drugs you might find in your drink."

Harry frowned and tried to push the finger out of his mouth with his tongue. This had the opposite effect as Tom just added his pointer finger and grabbed the tongue, his smile widening as Harry glowered at him.

"You've been avoiding everyone this entire day, and the youngest Weasley seems to be angry at you," Tom continued his train of thought.  
"Though, I don't think any of them are the reason you are this distressed. Something happened in the library. Dolohov told me you were worried when you left there, and so was Black."

Finally, he let go of Harry's tongue and took a step back, keeping his piercing gaze on the shorter male as he observed him. Harry licked his lips nervously and looked away.

"I'm afraid that if I tell you, you'll do something stupid," he replied softly.

"I never do anything stupid," Tom scoffed.

Harry wanted to tell him he could think of several things that could be considered stupid, but he bit his tongue. No need to point out the mistakes of Voldemort to the man himself, no matter how normal he looked in his youth.

"I can take care of it myself anyway," Harry muttered.

He shoved himself past Tom and started walking back towards the common room, but Tom grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Just tell me," the Slytherin Heir demanded.

Harry thought of it for a moment. There was no way Tom would let it go.

"How about an answer for an answer?" he suggested.  
"If you tell me why you dislike Hermione so much, I'll tell you what's bothering me."

Tom raised a brow, but eventually shrugged.

"There's just something about her that I can't stand," he replied casually.  
"Besides, she's the only one who lies about her name. I don't like it."

Harry's eyes widened in shock.

"H-how'd you-…" he mumbled.

"She's clearly no Weasley," Tom snorted.  
"Everyone who'd care to look would see that. Who is she really Harry? Why are you hiding her real identity?"

"One answer for one answer," Harry replied coldly.  
"Either I tell you about Hermione, or I tell you what's bothering me."

Tom sighed and released his grip on Harry's arm, letting his hand fall back to his side. They stared at each other for a long while, Tom in an assessing manner, while Harry returned the look stubbornly, trusting in the fact that Tom wasn't going to Legilimens him.

"What happened in the library that got you in this mood?" Tom asked eventually.

"Myrtle Warren, from Ravenclaw, overheard me and Sirius talk about how we came from the future," Harry replied softly, eyes flitting around to make sure no one was near to hear him.

Tom's brows rose and he nodded in understanding, though he didn't seem worried or angry, like Harry had expected. Instead, he was perfectly calm.

"I know the girl," he said.  
"She's a piss poor mudblood. No one will believe her even if she told anyone."

Harry bristled angry.

"That means nothing you know!" he growled.  
"Just because she's muggleborn doesn't mean she's worthless or stupid!"

"If she were stupid, she'd never have ended up in Ravenclaw," Tom waved him off disinterestedly.  
"Warren has no friends, is often bullied, and is a pervert. She's tried to sneak into the prefects bathroom only two weeks ago when I was in there. No one would believe her if she said something as outrageously ridiculous as students coming from the future."

"If you say so," Harry muttered.

Tom chuckled and grabbed Harry's hand, leading him back towards the entrance to the common room. Harry frowned, but allowed himself to be pulled back into the cheerful chaos of the party. If Tom was so convinced that the problem with Myrtle would sort itself out, then who was he to question it?

When they re-entered, they found a beaming Hermione dancing a fast waltz with Alphard, while Ron stood in a corner, glowering at the duo. Several of the Slytherins were whispering and snickering around him, often looking over at the redhead with amused grins.

"I think your friend lost the argument with his 'sister'," Tom whispered in Harry's ear.

"Guess so," Harry replied smiling.  
"But he's used to that now, Mione never really loses an argument."

"It was bloody hilarious, that's for sure!" Dimitri Lestrange laughed as he approached them.

Harry grinned at the younger boy and nodded in agreement. The older Lestrange brother, Mulciber, Dolohov and Rosier joined them as they all talked.

"I grew up with them," Harry told the Slytherins, his green eyes shining with amusement.  
"They always argue and Hermione always gets the last word. I've been their buffer for years. Sometimes I think they'd kill each other if I wasn't around…"

Loud thunderous laughter echoed through the room, catching the attention of several of the other students. Soon enough, Avery, Yaxley, Nott, Eileen Prince and Orion Black had joined their growing group. Harry tried not to look at the last two too much, as he feared he'd mistake them for their sons. Not that either looked particularly like their kids. Orion had a softer, more feminine face than Sirius ever had, and Eileen had a sweet little nose and shiny long black hair.

"Can you tell us what it was like, living in the war?" Amarilicus Nott, 4th year student, asked curiously.

Harry paused and blinked. He glanced over to Tom, but just as he had feared, the older boy looked at him with great curiosity as well. Harry swallowed. He couldn't tell nothing, and he wasn't as great a liar to make something up either. Tom knew this both to be true, so whatever Harry would tell, there would be a certain truth to it, and that was what Harry was worried about. Tom might pick up on some things.

"I didn't particularly live in the middle of the war," he started hesitantly.  
"I doubt I'd have survived then, but I've seen more than my fair share of battles and violence."

"Did you fight Grindelwald's men?" Nicolas Lestrange asked curiously.

"Yes. Last year while I was out with my friends, we ended up in the middle of a raid," Harry replied.  
"It was pure chaos, and lots of people died, but we got away relatively unscathed. Sadly, so did they."

"You mean the Weasleys were there too?" Mulciber asked, and he frowned as Harry nodded.  
"Too bad they didn't bloody die. Those bloodtraitors are like an infection. Keep on growing while no one want 'em."

Harry grabbed his wand from inside his sleeve, but didn't take it out yet as he glared at Mulciber.

"Those are my friends you're talking about," he growled darkly.

The tall, bulky teen held up his hands in a placating manner and shrugged helplessly. Nicolas Lestrange seemed to grow dark as he too grabbed for his wand. He glared at Harry, daring him to attack, but neither boy made a move.

"Why won't you tell us something about that scar of yours, Potter?" Yaxley asked smoothly, effectively defusing the tension between Harry and the two 6th years.

"I got it the day my parents died," Harry told her tightly.

"When did your parents die again?" Rosier wanted to know.

"I was one year old at the time," was the quiet answer.  
"On All Hallows Eve."

The silence that followed was louder than any of the questions. Before another one could come, Harry turned away and left to the dorms, ignoring Ron calling his name as he left the party.

. . . . .

Harry sat on his bed, the picture of his parents in his hands as he fought the tears. Here he was, sharing a dorm with their murderer and living happily while he did nothing to avenge them, like he was sure any good son would do. How would he ever be able to face them? Were they proud of him, wherever they were, or were they disappointed?

The door suddenly opened, and Harry looked up, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes. He was mortified to find Tom leaning against the doorpost, watching him with calculating eyes.

"The Weasleys all left shortly after you disappeared," the older teen spoke calmly.  
"Alphard suggested to go with them. I asked, he'd keep a little eye out for Warren and have her come see me one of these days."

"I thought you said we didn't need to worry," Harry whispered hoarsely.

Tom smiled and pushed himself away from the wall. He walked over to Harry's bed and sat down next to him.

"We don't, but better safe than sorry," he said.

"You're not going to hurt her are you?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"Just talking," the other promised grinning, before he turned serious.  
"But I came here to see how you were. You got quite upset earlier."

Harry scoffed and lay back down on his bed, turning his back to Tom. The older boy sighed and picked up the faded picture of James and Lilly Potter smiling and waving with a little toddler Harry in their arms.

"I killed them, didn't I?" Tom whispered, tracing the face of the baby with one long, pale finger.

Harry's shoulders tensed, but he nodded eventually, slowly turning back to look at Tom. The young Dark Lord grinned at him, somehow seeming all too smug for finding out he killed someone.

"What are you smiling about?" Harry asked bitterly.

"I won't say I'm sorry about your parents," Tom replied.

Harry scowled and grabbed the photo from the older teen before turning away from him once more. Tom laughed softly at that, and leaned down to place a playful kiss in the nape of Harry's neck.

"If they hadn't died, you wouldn't have come here," Tom whispered softly, to Harry's great surprise.  
"And where would we have been then? Certainly, your parents would have been dead anyway, and no one would come to save me."

The bed dipped when Tom stood up and Harry listened to the retreating footsteps as Tom walked into the bathroom. That night, Harry didn't get a wink of sleep.


	15. A Talk

Tom walked briskly through the corridors of the large castle towards the Great Hall. He was already too late for dinner, as he had spent the entire evening in the library doing research on the Chamber of Secrets, to which he still wasn't any closer to finding its location. He'd been holed up in there for so long, he was now starving.

Of course, it seemed that ever since Harry and his time-traveling friends had arrived, nothing could go easily for Tom anymore. He found his path blocked by the Weasley twins, the real ones, not the one with the brunette imposter. He never really talked with the duo before, but he remembered Harry had called them Fred and George, though he had never really bothered to learn who was who.

"Hey, Riddle," one of them, the left one, spoke up.

"Harry told us you know everything," the other one said.  
"Or at least a lot. So we were wondering-…"

"-What you're planning," the first one finished, narrowing his eyes at Tom.

"There's no way you'll leave it at this," the second one growled.

"Yeah, we bet you've got some kind of evil scheme ready," the first one added bitterly.

"Unlike Harry, we won't fall for your tricks!" they finished in chorus.

Tom blinked and stared at the two of them, sizing them up calmly. They seemed to think they could intimidate him for some reason. He smirked, and here he thought that those from the future would know him better. How disappointing.

"You two must just love tennis," he commented casually.

The two Weasleys frowned in confusion and glanced at each other. Tom's smile fell again as he realized they likely didn't even know what tennis was. So incredibly boring already this conversation was. He shrugged to himself and brushed past them.

"It's a muggle game," he explained without looking at them.  
"Two muggles stand on opposite sides of a field with a net in the middle and they hit a ball at each other."

"What?" he heard them ask in sync.

Tom felt like rolling his eyes. This was why he disliked talking with uninteresting people. Uninteresting people were usually boring and dumb. He sighed. He already missed talking with Harry. The green eyed boy was the most interesting person he'd met in his whole life. At least he could follow most of the things Tom talked about without much trouble.

"Never mind," he muttered.  
"It's almost as boring as Quidditch anyway."

"Hold up!" one of the twins suddenly called after him.

"We're not done with you yet!" the other called as two sets of footsteps ran after him.

This time, Tom did roll his eyes and he turned around to face the two, smiling coldly at them.

"Oh? But I am so very done with you already," he told them pleasantly, enjoying the widening of their eyes in surprise and fear before his expression turned to ice.  
"You two bore me, and I am too hungry to indulge you."

The two of them stared at Tom in pure shock at his words, but soon, rage took over.

"Shut up! You don't get to say that!" one of the twins yelled, face burning red with fury.

"Do you even know what you did to our sister?! After everything you did, we should just _kill_ you instead of trying to save you!" the other screamed.

Tom cocked his head, his mind running miles a second as he took in the implications of what these two were saying. He already knew that the Weasley girl, the real one, had a personal reason to hate him, and it seemed that if he played his cards right, these two would be able to reveal the reason to him. Not that he cared for the girl or anything, but it might bring him closer to finding out about Harry's past – or future to be more accurate.

"Of course I do," he replied calmly, smirking at the Weasley brothers.  
"But I still don't see why that is a reason you should mistreat me so. After all, I haven't done anything yet, right?"

"You will!" the first one yelled angrily, balling his fists as his twin did the same.

"Who says you haven't done anything yet?! Maybe you already did open that-that _place_ and made that stupid diary of yours!" the second one growled.

So Tom would open up the Chamber of Secrets this year? That was great news! And that part of the diary… he knew which one they meant of course. He was planning on making it the vessel of his first Horecrux. But how did the Weasley girl get her hands on it? And what had happened to her while she had it? He had a pretty good idea about the last one. Horecruxes had their own minds, and their greatest wish was to hold a body, usually by possessing someone else's.

"Little girls shouldn't play with other people's toys," he shrugged.  
"Especially if those toys are made from dark magic."

"You bastard!" the first one of the twins screamed.

"My parents were married, actually. They were the talk of the town. Such a disgrace…"

The twins glared furiously at him, and one of them even raised his wand. Tom kept his face blank, but he tensed despite himself as he too grabbed for his wand. Usually, he wouldn't doubt his ability to win in a duel, even against two older students. But these two came from the future, meaning they knew things he didn't. Who was he to know how many spells had been invented in those years.

"Tom?"

He almost sighed with relief as he heard the soft, whimpering voice of the young Ravenclaw. The Weasley duo tensed and their wands disappeared from sight as Tom turned towards Warren with a bright smile on his face.

"Myrtle," he greeted.

The girl blushed, as she always did when he was around. The annoying little mudblood had the audacity to have a crush on him. As if he'd ever see a silly girl like her. Pathetic.

"You wanted to talk to me?" the girl asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"I did, actually," Tom nodded.  
"Join me at the kitchen for a moment, please. I'm starving."

The girl started blushing like mad at Tom's proposal and nodded eagerly.

"O-of course!" she agreed readily, smiling in a way that would have been flirty had she been a bit prettier and less nervous.

"Wonderful!" Tom smiled, before nodding towards the twins.  
"Gentlemen, it was a pleasure to talk with you."

"Hardly," they replied in chorus.

Ignoring the bitterness in the Weasleys' voices Tom smiled at them and waved goodbye. He steered Myrtle along with him and walked with a strong pace towards the kitchens. The mudblood girl watched wide eyed as Tom tickled the pear to open the door to the kitchen. The painting swung aside and revealed the cosy busyness behind it. Several of the house elves paused in their work to cheerfully greet their guests and within a minute, they were back outside with a basket of food for Tom. He barely suppressed a sneer in disgust, hating to have to keep up his perfect prefect act even around such lowly creatures as elves, but no one could know the real him, especially not when the mudblood was around too.

"Let's go to an empty classroom, then we can talk," Tom ordered calmly.

Myrtle blushed and nodded. She skipped after Tom as he walked over to the closest classroom and entered. The girl looked around herself, her eyes sparkling nervously. Tom wouldn't be surprised if the girl was thinking he wanted more than just talking. Myrtle Warren had an annoyingly big crush on him after all, and everyone knew she lived in a fantasy world. She had even deluded herself that Tom was her friend last year. At least she got over that.

Tom ignored her for the moment and simply opened his dinner basket and started eating. The mudblood girl shuffled around nervously as she watched him like a hawk. Every time their eyes met, she smiled crookedly, most likely trying to copy Yaxley's famous sexy smirk. She failed miserably every time and looked more like a nut job. Tom guessed that was rather accurate.

"Harry told me you've been eavesdropping on him yesterday," he spoke eventually.

The girl tensed and stared fearfully.

"You know about that?" she asked softly.  
"About him I mean? So-so it is true!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Tom replied shrugging.  
"Would you care to share with me what you think you heard?"

Tom cast a silent compulsion charm on the girl to assure she'd tell him the truth. Not that he needed it to manipulate the idiotic girl, but this way he already set a base if he needed to obliviate her later. It would be easier if she were already susceptible to him.

"They were talking about you," Myrtle whispered.

"About me? What did they say?" Tom wanted to know.

"I-I didn't hear the whole thing, but… mister Black didn't seem to like Harry Potter getting close to you. And then Potter said it was the plan and that they could save a lot of lives. Mister Black then said 'I'm still allowed to worry about my godson though. We both know what he can do. You more than anyone know what kind of man he becomes in the future'."

Tom frowned. He knew all this already, but the confirmation hurt. That was what confused him the most. What did he care that Harry didn't actually like him? No one really did in the end, so he shouldn't have expected those time-travellers, especially them as they knew what he'd become, to be any different. Deep down, they all hated him for the things he'd do in the future, even Harry.

"I see," he mumbled softly.  
"You really are delusional."

"What?!" the young girl shouted shocked.

Tom turned away from her and started walking away. The mudblood jumped up from where she had sat and ran after him.

"But it's true! I really did hear them!" she called after him.

"There is no such thing as time travel," Tom told her coolly without bothering to slow down.  
"The science of it all is simply impossible to comprehend, even for the greatest minds in the world."

"It is now!" the Ravenclaw third year replied heated.  
"But if they are from the future, they might just have worked it out right?"

Tom sighed and stopped walking. He turned towards Warren and smiled. As he put his hand on her small shoulder, he allowed his magic to seep into her in a wordless compulsion charm. He knew the spell worked perfectly as her pupils dilated and she stared at him in awe.

"I'm sure you heard a lot of things, but isn't it possible you misunderstood them?" he asked gently.  
"After all, such a lively, adventurous girl like you must have a powerful imagination, right?"

"I-I guess… maybe," she conceded quietly.

"I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation," Tom continued smoothly.  
"Maybe the information you received was pulled out of context, or they knew you were listening and wanted to play a prank."

The girl's eyes darkened at that last part. Of course Tom knew she was more than used to being a victim of teasing and jokes and he used that knowledge to the fullest. Myrtle Warren was quite the hothead, and the mere idea of people having it in for her was enough to push her into a fit of rage. Which was why so few people liked her of course.

"Well, that would be really mean of him," she mumbled upset.

Tom smiled and patted her head.

"I know, and I'll talk with him about this, don't worry," he said gently.  
"Now run along miss Warren, thank you for listening to me."

Myrtle brightened up immediately and grinned at Tom. A small blush dusted her cheeks and she batted her eyelids at him from behind the thick framed glasses. Tom had to bite back a sneer at her attempt to appear flirtatious. She was just a silly little girl, and an ugly duckling at that. The glasses really did nothing for her looks at all, it only made her look like some kind of bulgy eyed insect, nothing near as endearing as Harry with his cracked round glasses and bright green eyes.

"I'll always listen to you, Tom," she told the older boy.

"That's nice to know," Tom replied stiffly.  
"Have a good day, miss Warren."

Tom turned away and strode through the hall in a quick pace, a disgusted scowl appearing on his face. He was going to punish Harry for putting him through this, having to talk with a filthy mudblood, and one that was obsessed with him too! Now the girl wouldn't leave him alone no matter what!

Tom walked into the first lavatories he came across. They were the girls', but he cared little for that now. He needed to wash his hands and get rid of the dirty feeling he had from touching the young Ravenclaw girl. He strode over to the sinks and turned on the water. He glared at the faucet for a moment when nothing came out and was about to take another sink when something caught his eye. There, on the side of the faucet was a tiny snake carved into the metal. Tom grinned. Maybe he should thank Harry instead of punishing him.


	16. Interesting Potions

During classes the next day, Harry had to admit he was incredibly on edge. Last night, Tom had arrived at the dorms with a wide grin on his face and he had greeted Harry more cheerfully than he usually did. Harry's usual offensive comments hadn't elicited teasing like any other time, but instead a bright, patient smile. Knowing something was incredibly wrong, Harry had asked how his talk with Myrtle had gone. The twins had told him earlier about their run-in with the Dark Lord-to-be.

"It was a wonderful and enlightening conversation," Tom had replied pleasantly, before kissing Harry on the top of his head and leaving to go to bed.

They were having potions with Huffelpuff at the moment, just a theoretic lesson though, so Harry had more than enough time to mull things over in his head. Every possible case scenario he had concerning last night made him only more worried. Did anyone see Myrtle since her talk with Tom? She was still alive, wasn't she? Oh God, what if Harry's actions had gotten her killed even earlier instead of saving her! This was really bad.

"Um… Potter? H-Harry?" the girl sitting next to him asked quietly.

Harry looked up at the nice looking Huffelpuff girl. Andrews, he believed, July Andrews. She was one of the most popular girls in their year. Andrews was definitely beautiful. Long, straight auburn hair and hazelnut brown eyes that sparkled with cheerfulness. She was petite and had rosy cheeks and lips, making her look incredibly cute.

Harry remembered she was a muggleborn. He'd heard Megan Yaxley complain about her a few times to one of the other girls in their year, a platinum blonde prefect with the name of Ellis Sandberg.

"Are you alright?" Andrews asked softly, blushing a bit.  
"You look a bit, um, put off?"

"I'm fine, just thinking," Harry replied smiling.

"Try not to hurt yourself with that," Avery, who was sitting behind them muttered.

Harry glared at him and Alphard and Rosier, who were both snickering quietly at the comment. Harry glanced to the boy sitting on his other side, frowning confused at Tom's unusual silence. Normally, the older teen would have come in between and commented about how they should leave the 'poor new student' alone, or something else degrading. Now, he didn't even seem to notice anything.

"I'm not an idiot, like you guys seem to think, you know," Harry told his house mates defensively.

"Obviously," Alphard snorted grinning.  
"Tom wouldn't want you around if you were an idiot."

"Oh really?" Harry asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.  
"Good thing Tom thinks I'm actually of good for some things then."

"I think Harry is really smart and brave and friendly," Andrews spoke up weakly, smiling a bit nervously at the group of Slytherin boys.

Harry blushed at the compliment and stared at the girl. The other boys were all staring in shock as well, most muggleborns didn't even dare to look at these guys, and here Andrews was, talking so bravely in Harry's defence. That made Harry smile. July was a very pretty girl, and really caring as well. He was honestly flattered that she liked him.

"Thank you," he said smiling.  
"You know, you're pretty great yourself. I heard you helped stop that dixy infestation Peeves created last week. My uncle was really impressed."

From Harry's other side, Tom started frowning deeply at the conversation. He leaned over, putting his arm over Harry's shoulders as he smiled charmingly at the Huffelpuff girl on Harry's other side.

"How very nice of you to say those things, miss Andrews," the Slytherin prefect drawled.  
"But I have to say it is a very obvious way to seduce Harry. I guess we can't expect better from a girl with a mere average of 'P' in this class… or perhaps that is the reason you're seducing Harry in the first place?"

The girl went bright red as she stared at Tom with open mouth. Harry frowned, glancing over to the front of the class to find Slughorn talking with a few kids in the front row and didn't notice any of the conversation going on with them. So, he decided to take matters in his own hands before Tom could permanently damage the poor girl with his sharp tongue. He turned around quickly and removed the other's arm with a rough shove.

"Shut up, Tom," he hissed warningly, glaring at the older boy.

"Why? We are only talking about grades at the moment," Tom replied innocently.  
"Which apparently isn't Andrew's forte – is it true you had a 'Troll' on your start of the year Defence exam?"

"A Troll?!" Avery snickered, eyes wide in shock.

"Fits her though, doesn't it?" Rosier joked cruelly.  
"The mudblood got a Troll. She looks like one too!"

The Huffelpuff girl's eyes started watering and she jumped up suddenly, ready to leave the room. Tom's dark blue eyes seemed to sparkle in glee at the upset state Andrews was in, but Harry had none of it. He quickly reached out and grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her back down on her seat.

"Don't go. They're just arseholes," he told her softly, before turning towards the three Slytherins behind him.  
"You guys should seriously be ashamed of yourselves! July is a great girl and really sweet."

Tom frowned again as the girl blushed furiously and opened his mouth to say something. Harry noticed of course and held up his hand, glaring threateningly at him.

"And you, if you say one more word like that, I will never team up with you again on any project, and you can forget on your little information hunt!" he growled.

Tom glowered at him for a moment before he turned his head away and stubbornly stared at the front of the classroom. Harry rolled his eyes at his friend's childish behaviour and looked back at Andrews, smiling at her.

"Defence is my best class," he told her softly.  
"If you need any help, we could meet at the library sometime."

"That would be great!" the girl replied with a grateful smile.

They both looked back at the front as Slughorn started explaining the importance of bezoar a bit more detailed then in their books, neither of them noticing the dark look on Tom's face.

The rest of class was pretty uneventful, and Harry and July were able to talk a bit more, much to the chagrin of the Slytherins and especially Tom, who kept suspiciously quiet as he continued focussing on his notes with an intensity only Hermione was ever able to pull off. When at last the bell rang, Tom stood up very suddenly and brushed past Harry to get to the door first. The other Slytherins all rushed after him.

Harry frowned at the sudden rush and quickly bid his goodbyes to the Huffelpuff girl. July Andrews blushed and waved at him as she quickly made her way to her housemates. Harry saw how Rosetta Diggory started whispering in hushed tones with the auburn haired girl, who replied excitedly and the two of them left giggling.

Harry wanted to go look for Tom and the others, not trusting them not to do anything bad. In fact, he had a very bad feeling about Tom that day. He seemed… off. More so than usual.

"Harry, my boy! Can I talk with you for a moment?" professor Slughorn called out before Harry could leave the class.

Harry reluctantly turned away from the door and walked up to the teacher's desk, forcing a smile on his face. The pompous man that was their potions teacher wasn't a bad person, or a dislikeable man even, and Harry greatly preferred Slughorn over Snape any day. But he was a very shallow person. Slughorn greatly favoured the smart and the rich over his other students, and that wasn't something Harry liked much about him.

"What is it, professor?" he asked.

"Well, first off, I wanted to congratulate you on making the quidditch team!" the professor told him smiling.  
"A little late, I know, but young mister Black has been praising you to the stars in our last meeting – I have a little club for some elite students you see, and I thought you would be a great addition indeed!"

The wide smile on Slughorn's face told Harry his Head of House expected this invitation to be a great honour for Harry, but the young time-traveller had absolutely no interest in joining whatsoever. He was even about to refuse when Slughorn opened his mouth again.

"And I see that you have been getting rather close with young Riddle! Good for you my boy. Tom is my most prized student after all! No wonder he charms everyone so easily at our meetings too…"

The mention of Tom's name had Harry perk up. He realized that he was still woefully ignorant about most of the teenage Dark Lord's comings and goings and if he really wanted to change the older teen for the better, he couldn't afford any faults like that. If he made just one small error in his judgement, everything could tip the other way, and he could end up with an even worse Voldemort.

"It would be my honour to join your club, professor," Harry told him with a fake smile.  
"What does it entail exactly? I think I heard some of my classmates talk about it, but…"

"Ah! Good question!" Slughorn grinned, patting Harry on the back.  
"We just have the odd get together in the evenings for a nice dinner and pleasant conversation. And I organize a few parties every year for our little club and some old students of mine. We call ourselves the 'Slug Club' one of my old students, Abraxas Malfoy actually, came up with it when I first set up the club."

"Very clever, sir," Harry praised.

"It is, isn't it! Young mister Malfoy has always been a very clever student, one of the best actually. Though not as clever as our Tom of course, none of them ever were. He works at the ministry at the moment I believe."

Harry smiled and nodded, though on the inside he was about ready to pull his hair out. There had been something wrong with Tom when he left, and Harry had wanted to follow him. Because of professor Slughorn, he had missed his opportunity and now Tom was long gone doing Godric knows what kind of evil deeds. Harry just hoped he wasn't torturing anyone.

"If that's all professor, I have a lot of homework," he told his Head of House a bit apologetically.

"Goodness me! Forgive me Harry my boy," Slughorn exclaimed wide eyed.  
"Go on ahead then dear boy! And we'll see each other Sunday around 7.30 in the evening for that little get together, won't we?"

"Of course professor," Harry replied obediently.

"And please do tell your friend Hermione Weasley she is invited too," the professor added before Harry could try to leave again.  
"It's in my office. Just ask Tom to take you there if you're unsure. He'll be delighted to help you. Such a kind boy he is."

Harry kept a blank face and nodded again. Deep inside, he was laughing hysterically at the mere thought of Tom being sweet and kind, like his professors seemed to believe. If only they knew who Tom Marvolo Riddle really was, Harry mused.


	17. Argument

Harry returned to the common room with a heavy heart. He'd been looking for Tom the past hour, along with the help of Ron and Hermione, but the Dark-Lord-to be was simply nowhere to be found. It worried Harry greatly and he couldn't help but wonder where the other had gone off to.

"Harry!" Alphard called from where he and his friends were seated.

Rosier, who sat next to the young Black grinned and waved. With a sigh, Harry walked up to the group, existing of Alphard, Rosier, Yaxley, Avery, Nott, Dolohov, Mulciber and the two Lestrange brothers. Only one girl, but that too was something Harry was getting used to. Megan Yaxley was just the type of girl to hang out with boys instead of other girls.

"Hey," he greeted the group of baby Death Eaters.  
"Has anyone seen Tom? He just disappeared after class."

"He said he was going to do some research," Rosier told him.

"You know how Tom is, right mate?" Avery said grinning.  
"Always studying and all. Like he isn't bloody smart enough yet."

Harry frowned in thought and sat down next to Yaxley. The girl raised a brow at his upset expression and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, sliding it upwards to his chin to force him to look at her. The action only made Harry frown even more.

"You look distressed," the girl noted slightly amused.  
"No wonder, really. I heard you were hit on by that Huffelpuff mudblood."

"July is a nice girl," Harry noted annoyed.

"I bet! She's bloody gorgeous if you ignore her background," Nicolas Lestrange snickered.  
"But just for fooling around with a few times. No one can be serious about a girl that insignificant."

"What idiot came with that idea?" Harry asked frowning.  
"Lots of people can be very serious about someone like her. She's pretty and really sweet. Just because she's not a pureblood doesn't make her any less of a great person."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night, mate," Avery snorted.

Several of the others were all staring at Harry with doubtful expressions, clearly not liking where he was going with the conversation.

"You're not honestly interested in her, right?" Alphard asked.  
"I mean, I'm not bothered with it as much, but I just don't think it's a good idea. Tom-…"

"What does Tom has to do with my bloody love-life anyway?" Harry asked angry.

"I am madly in love with you, obviously," came the dry reply from behind Harry.

The green eyed teen turned his head so fast he almost had a whiplash and he glared at the tall teen standing behind his seat. Tom just smirked down at him, but the smile had an edge in it Harry hadn't seen before. Somehow, the casual act seemed artificial, and that made shivers run down Harry's spine. Still, he squared his shoulders and glared at the Slytherin heir.

"And where were you anyway?" he asked.  
"I've been looking all over for you."

"Library," Tom replied with a shrug.

The teenage dark lord rounded the sofa and sat down on Harry's side, shoving away Avery for the seat. Harry scowled but kept his mouth shut. He knew that Tom was lying. They had searched the library just like anywhere else in the castle, but no Tom to be found. To be calling him out with all these baby Death Eaters around would be a bad idea though, so Harry opted to wait his chance.

"Why were you looking for Riddle anyway?" Nott asked curiously.

"I just thought he might want to know Slughorn invited me and 'Mione to his club," Harry shrugged.

He could see Tom frown through the corner of his eye, but he didn't know whether it was for the fact that Hermione would be joining the Slug Club, or that Harry was lying too and Tom knew it. Harry had more right to lie about something like this anyway. If he said the truth, it would be bad for Tom as well.

"Congrats!" Alphard said grinning.  
"Most of us are members too, at least most of us who are 5th year and up. Slughorn usually doesn't invite younger students."

"Tom was the only one who was invited to some of the meetings last year," Mulciber remembered.  
"Only 4th year there, and he still somehow ended up being the most mature."

"The way you and Nicolas constantly act, I don't see how that should be surprising, Daniel," Tom replied smiling.  
"Honestly, an opera curse on an envelope, was that the best you could come up with to shut up William Abbot? He couldn't even hold his tone."

The group laughed amused at that, and Mulciber scratched his neck awkwardly, a crooked grin appearing on his square face as he chuckled too. Harry's eyebrows rose at that.

"That's all?" he asked shocked.

Mulciber looked at him and shrugged.

"Bloody prat was being a pain in my arse, but he's not a bad guy," he replied easily.  
"What did you expect? A tongue-tying hex? We're not allowed to use those on other students you know. And Merrythought is already hounding me."

"And let's not even start about Dumbledore," Nicolas Lestrange muttered bitterly.  
"He's always looking for something to pin on us. The bastard bloody hates Slytherin, while his own lions can't do anything wrong of course."

"He's not that bad is he?" Harry replied through gritted teeth.

He wanted to curse Lestrange for saying anything bad about the Transfigurations professor, but he reminded himself that he was on an important mission, so he gave the older student a lopsided smile instead.

"I mean, he seemed nice enough when I met him in Hogsmeade the first day."

"He is," Nott agreed readily, giving Harry a bitter grin.  
"As long as you're not a Slytherin of course."

"He's never said anything to me," Harry shrugged.

"That, my dear Harry, is because you are still pure," Tom replied smoothly.  
"He believes your mind is still clean, that I haven't yet put my evil hooks into you."

"He's right about that," Harry told him coolly.

"Are you sure about that?" Rosier asked amused.  
"I mean, you and Tom do spend a lot of time together, don't you?"

"Just because I'm his friend doesn't mean he's influencing me," Harry countered smirking.  
"In fact, I like to think it'll be the other way around. Might do some good that way."

Tom snorted in amusement and glanced at Harry. The others, who had all tensely waited for Tom's reaction started laughing as well. Harry rolled his eyes and shot Tom a teasing grin.

"Don't believe me?" he asked sweetly.

Tom gave a soft chuckle and leaned closer to Harry. The green eyed teen tensed, his eyes widening when he felt Tom's lips against his ear. Hot breath ghosted on his skin and Harry could already tell he was blushing. Tom chuckled again, meaning he noticed this too, making Harry only blush even more.

"No one ever influences me, unless I want them to," Tom whispered loud enough so everyone could hear him.

"And will you let me?" Harry asked innocently.

Something dark flitted over Tom's eyes, but it was gone just as fast as it had come. He raised a brow and smiled chillingly at Harry.

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted before standing up.  
"Well! I have had a tiring day and would like to retire. Good night."

Tom started walking towards the dorms and Harry quickly jumped to his feet to follow him. He wished the rest of the group a good night, ignoring the raised brows and questioning looks he received as he rushed after their lord in such a hurry.

"Tom!" he called out as he entered the bedroom.

Tom turned to face him and frowned.

"What I did today is none of your business," he said before Harry had a chance of asking.  
"Acting so desperately is quite the turn off, sweetheart. We all need our space."

"I doubt that," Harry snorted, pointedly ignoring the second comment.  
"You've been acting weird all day and then you just disappear? What are you up to Tom?"

"I haven't killed anyone, if that's what you're asking," the older teen sneered.  
"Honestly, the trust you have in me is astounding! Or do your history books tell you I would?"

"Merlin! Of course they don't! People will think you're a right little saint for another decade!" Harry growled.  
"There isn't exactly a book titled: 'Chronological list of all the evil shit Tom Riddle did during his school days'!"

"How this must make your job more difficult," Tom said sarcastically.  
"I'm so very sorry you need to spend time with a psychopath. You're such a bloody _hero_!"

Harry scowled in anger and took a step closer. His eyebrows were knitted together and his wand was fisted in his hand, ready to be used if Tom made a wrong move. Tom of course noticed and did the same thing, glaring at Harry.

"Are we really back to this?" the Slytherin Heir asked deceptively calm.

"I hope not, but if that's what it's going to take…" Harry replied softly.

Tom rolled his eyes and carded his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"So _righteous!_ I have honestly no bloody idea how you got into Slytherin. You're so painfully Lion, Potter," he sneered.

When the other called him by his last name, Harry could feel a sting of betrayal in his chest, but he ignored the feeling and kept glaring at the other. He wouldn't show Tom how he affected him.

"That's supposed to be an insult?" he snorted.  
"I used to be a Gryffindor, and honestly, I miss it. Everything is so much easier than here. At least in Gryffindor, I didn't need to constantly worry about who I could trust."

"Easy, trust no one," Tom replied shrugging.

"See? That's your problem!" Harry cried out.  
"Everyone needs someone, Tom, even you. Look at what you'll turn out to be without."

"What I've learned so far is that I'll become a very powerful Dark Lord," Tom shot back smirking.

"Who gets killed by a toddler," the younger one deadpanned.

They both tensed. Tom's eyes grew wide in shock while Harry cursed himself for saying too much. He never told Tom about that particular part, nor had he planned to. Letting Tom know he was the one that vanquished him the first time and the one expected to do so a second time by the entire Wizarding World was a really bad thing. If he knew, he'd definitely kill him.

"… I… die?" Tom asked softly, panic now growing wider in his eyes.

"No," Harry conceded quietly.  
"Well, yes, but your spirit stayed on Earth. You possessed my teacher during my first year. A face stuck to the back of his head."

Whatever little colour Tom had in his face was drained at that, his eyes widening even comically as he stared at Harry with open mouth. Harry would definitely have laughed if the situation wasn't so grave. He swallowed and relaxed the grip on his wand. Time to be stupid.

"Tom…" he said quietly, walking closer until he was able to cup one of the taller boy's cheeks.  
"Let me help you, please. You're a great guy, and if you just chose another path, you could have done some amazing things!"

A trembling hand grasped Harry's wrist and the younger teen was forced to look into those terrified eyes. There wasn't even a single trace of the usual, cocky, self-assured, Dark-Lord-to-be in there it was in so many ways scary to look at.

"I'm going to die," Tom whispered.  
"I-I don't want to die, Harry."

"That's why I'm here," Harry whispered, smiling.

Tom frowned.

"I thought you said you're here to stop me."

The fear dulled in his eyes, taken over by a sharp intelligence. Harry could nearly see the cogwheels turning inside that amazing brain of the older teen. Suspicion and distrust grew in Tom's expression right before it went entirely blank.

"You're not telling me everything," he accused coldly.

Harry looked away guiltily. Of course he wasn't going to tell Tom everything, but maybe he could give him a bit more. Well, if he wanted a chance to win Tom over, he'd have to. The other would only become more distrustful of him if Harry kept quiet now.

"You came back," he told Tom.  
"Last year, during the last trial of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. That's when Cedric got killed."

"I came back from the dead? How?" Tom asked eagerly.

"I don't know… some kind of ritual, I don't know anything else," Harry replied hurried.

He couldn't know anything about Harry. He couldn't know, it would ruin everything. That was what kept repeating in Harry's mind like a mantra. His eyes were wide, silently begging for Tom to stop questioning him, hoping that the other would just think it was because of Cedric. It partially was.

Tom sighed and turned away from Harry. He grabbed his nightclothes and walked into the bathroom, not even bothering to look at Harry. A lump grew in Harry's throat as he saw the dark look on Tom's face. He was thinking everything over hard and Harry was sure it wouldn't take long before Tom would figure everything out on himself. The older was much too smart for his own good.

With a deep, sad sigh, Harry grabbed his own stuff and went to the bathroom across the hall of their dorm. When he came back, Tom was already sound asleep.


	18. Slytherin vs Gryffindor

Harry only listened with one ear while Walburga was giving her usual pre-game speech on the importance of fair play and winning, only this time, she was a lot more heated when giving it. That was to be expected of course, they played against their big rival, Gryffindor.

Harry was excited about this particular game as well of course. All four Weasleys were in the team. Fred and George as beaters, Ron as Keeper and Ginny as one of the Chasers. The rest of the Gryffindor team were McKinnon, as captain and chaser, along with Leonard Longbottom, and as Seeker Dennis McLaggen. They were a strong team, as Harry well knew, having played with the Weasleys before, but so was the Slytherin team.

Their Chasers were Walburga and Alphard Black and Ravina Lestrange. The Beaters were Dolohov and Nicolas Lestrange and Rosier as their Keeper. They had easily taken out the Huffelpuff team two weeks ago in their first game of the year with this formation and Harry felt confident that it would work again… as long as he didn't forget for what team he was playing at least.

"Let's go out there and wipe those lion arses off the field!" Walburga ended passionately.

Their team cheered loudly and they all lined up to go out into the pitch. The bleachers were crowded with students all cheering for their favourite team. Harry looked up and smiled as he saw Hermione standing between several Ravenclaws. The two on her right, Olive Hornby and Johnathan Selwyn, if Harry remembered their names correctly were holding a large Slytherin banner, while Coral Rudderfort was holding a Gryffindor flag. Octavian stood next to Hermione and the two seemed to be talking about something before the teams had come out, now they were both cheering loudly as well, though neither made it clear for what House their cheers were.

A bit further showed the Hufflepuffs, all eagerly waving and calling out encouragements to both teams. July Andrews was wearing a Slytherin themed sweater and waved his way while Rosetta Diggory and her younger brother both wore Gryffindor scarves.

Smith, Septimus Weasley and Lyall Lupin were of course cheering on their own House, as were Yaxley, Mulciber, Avery, Nott, Orion and Cygnus Black, Dimitri Lestrange and, surprisingly, Tom. Harry frowned a bit seeing the young Dark Lord standing between his baby Death Eaters, as it was rare for the older teen to show his face around the pitch. He certainly hadn't been present during their game against Huffelpuff.

"A rare sight, isn't it?" Nicolas Lestrange commented.  
"Tom hates Quidditch almost as much as you seem to love it."

"Then why is he here?" Harry asked confused.

"Don't know," Lestrange shrugged.  
"Sometimes he just shows up if he thinks something interesting might happen."

Harry raised a brow. Something interesting… that even sounded ominous and since it involved Tom, there was no way that could be a good thing. He looked away again, guessing that whatever it was, it could wait until after the game. First, they needed to win this. Or lose, as his friends were playing for the other team. Harry chuckled at his own thoughts. Even if he wanted to, there was no way he could rig the game by slacking off. Quidditch sat too deep in his system for him not to take every game serious. He'd die before he ever gave less than a 100%, something he had proven in the past.

The two teams met in the middle of the pitch along with mister Vole. Harry smiled towards his friends at the other team and Ginny smiled back brightly. Ron gave him a sideways grin and stuck out his hand.

"First time standing across from each other in the pit, right mate?" he muttered jokingly.

"It sure is going to be an interesting game!" Harry replied, grasping his best friend's hand and shaking it.

Right when he said it, he glanced back over to the bleachers where Tom was observing his every movement with an intense stare and he shivered. It would definitely be interesting, though he wondered if that was really such a good thing. The older boy's presence set his nerves on fire and his senses into overdrive. He just hoped they'd all live through this.

"Get ready for the beat down of a lifetime, Harry!" Fred shouted jokingly.

"You might be a good Seeker, but we're even better beaters!" George laughed.

"Watch it!" Lestrange bristled.

His sister tightened her grip on her broom and glared at the twins, just like Walburga was doing. Harry grinned and shook his head.

"Keep dreaming!" he chuckled.  
"Slytherin will definitely win."

It felt strange to say something like that, and it still sounded wrong in his ears, but at least he was adjusting to living in the dungeons pretty well. The green wasn't all that bad once he got used to it. In fact, it even looked better on him than red. Or at least, that was what Hermione had told him.

"Hell yeah we'll bloody win!" the male Lestrange announced loudly, grinning wide.

"Don't be so sure of that, Lestrange," McLaggen growled.

"All players in positions!" mister Vole called out.  
"I'll release the Quaffle immediately!"

After saying this, mister Vole let out the Snitch and the two Bludgers before blowing on his whistle. The fourteen players all mounted their brooms and took to the sky. The feeling of wind blowing around him and the loud cheers of the students on the bleachers was like true freedom to Harry. Nothing felt better than being high up in the air on a broom.

"Let's have a fair game!" mister Vole called out as he threw the Quaffle in the air.

It was immediately caught by Ravina Lestrange, who made a beeline towards the Gryffindor goals. She was intercepted by McKinnon and Ginny, who caught the Quaffle when Lestrange tried to pass it to Alphard. The redhead ducked underneath a Bludger from Dolohov and flew right back towards the Slytherin rings. She was blocked by Walburga, but bypassed her quickly and passed to Longbottom, who shot. Rosier stopped him from making the first goal and the Quaffel ended back with Alphard.

Harry watched the whole thing with a wide grin on his face. He wasn't even sure anymore for which team he should be cheering, but that only made the whole game more interesting. His own team was doing amazing, but the Weasleys didn't back down either as one of the twins almost hit Ravina Lestrange off her broom with a Bludger and how Ron blocked Alphard. He even actually cheered when Ginny made the first goal of the game.

A golden sheen close to the middle of the field had Harry dive down. He ended right in the middle of the commotion and immediately had to duck for a Bludger whizzing his way. Ignoring the entire game around him, he chased after the Snitch, zigzagging between the other players.

The Snitch flew back upwards and Harry followed, higher and higher until they were far above the field where the air had gotten frosty. There, a large weight crashed into him, making his broom whirl out of control.

McLaggen immediately took Harry's place in chasing the small golden ball. Once Harry had his broom back under control, he gave chase after the Gryffindor seeker.

The Snitch escaped into a cloud, but neither Seeker gave up and flew right along the small golden orb into the icy wetness. Harry couldn't see a thing. At one moment, Harry was still flying in a rush after the Snitch, the next, he was thrown off his broom by the other Seeker.

Harry's eyes widened in shock as he felt himself plummet down towards the ground. His broom was falling too, not that far from him actually. He tried to reach out, but the broom was just out of reach. His robes flickered around him as he tried desperately to fight gravity. Hopeless of course.

He heard the screams of the students and the worried shouts of the teachers. When he glanced towards them, he found Hermione and Octavian standing up, staring wide eyed in horror. Sirius, who was seated next to professor Merrythought and professor Slughorn, had jumped up and was shouting his name. Harry only vaguely thought that calling out to him wasn't going to stop him from making unfriendly contact with the ground in a few seconds.

The broom stayed out of his grabbing fingers while the ground rushed closer by the second. Then, as if by magic, the broom shot towards him on its own. He grabbed it tightly, feeling the magic of it course through him as his descend was halted and he stayed up in the air, only several metres above the ground. He could see several teachers already entering the pitch to help him, but instead of going down, he hoisted himself back on his broom and flew upwards.

He could see McLaggen floating high up, staring at him with a sour expression and he frowned. The Snitch was of course nowhere in sight again.

Harry scouted his surroundings and found the golden ball flittering about close to the ground near the bleachers. He steered his battered, broken broom that way as fast as he could. To be entirely honest, he was surprised the broom was still flying at all. After that stunt of McLaggen, the thing was barely even more than splinters.

The older Seeker was on him in seconds and rammed him again. Harry was more prepared this time and he avoided the other easily. or it would have been easily with a proper broom. He was only hit in the arm for a moment, but it still hurt like hell. Harry grinded his teeth and returned the favour. McLaggen wavered on his broom and was slowed down enough for Harry to take the lead again and race after the Snitch.

He had to cross the entire field again to get to the annoying little ball, but he didn't need to worry about any Bludgers going his way. After what happened, one of the Weasley twins actually chased one of them away of Harry instead of trying to hit him with it. Harry was grateful for that. He didn't really feel all that well anyway and having to deal with Bludgers would have been too much with the state of his broom and himself.

McKinnon himself did get in the way though. The captain of the Gryffindor team tried to ram him, but before he could, the two Lestranges cornered the 6th year and forced him to crash into a pillar. This gave Harry the chance to catch the ever elusive Snitch at last.

The second he touched down, his broom made a loud 'crack' and dropped like a brick. Harry's eyes widened when he saw the large tears in the wood and he wondered how it was possible that the thing had been able to stay airborne until that moment.

"Potter caught the Snitch! Slytherin wins with 240 points to 110!" the announcer called out through the speakers.

Harry grinned widely and held the Snitch high in the air, revelling in the loud cheering of the crowd. He glanced to his side, where he found his teammates and the Gryffindor team touch down. Alphard grinned at Harry and rushed over, squeezing the other teen in a tight, manly hug.

"We bloody did it!" he cheered happily.  
"Well, more like you did it, we were kind of losing…"

"Barely. My broom fell apart," Harry laughed awkwardly.

"Noticed that," Lestrange muttered.  
"Bloody McLaggen. He did that op purpose no doubt."

"I-I wouldn't know…" Harry mumbled.

He had a feeling it really was on purpose, but he wasn't going to say that to these future Death Eaters. He had a terrible suspicion that they'd to something to the guy. Maybe even kill him.

In the end, it turned out he didn't need to worry about his own teammates but for his own friends. Instead, he watched shocked as Ginny Weasley stomped over to the burley 6th year Seeker and clocked him in the face.

"You bastard! You nearly killed Harry!" she yelled.

"Not my fault he can't bloody fly!" McLaggen growled, clutching his bleeding nose.

Ginny's eyes burned in fury and she turned away from the older teen. She strode over to the twins, turning on one of them and holding out her hand demandingly.

"Give me your bat, Fred," she demanded coldly.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Gin," Fred replied nervously.

"Yes it is! I'm going to bash in the head of that cheating bastard!"

"Calm down, Gin," George soothed, placing his hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I'm not calming down!" the girl shouted furious.  
"Now give me that bloody bat or I'll start throwing curses, and I won't promise it's just McLaggen that gets hit."

"Just let her already!" Lestrange groaned.

"Yeah! Let's see that prick bleed some more!" Dolohov agreed gleefully.

"That's enough!"

The players all looked over to see some of the teachers rush over to them. Sirius was with them, and the old Black rushed to Harry's side to check his injuries while Dumbledore walked up to Ginny. It had been Dumbledore who called out, and now too, it was the future headmaster that spoke.

"Don't fight, please," he said to Ginny, giving McLaggen a worried look.

"Don't fight?" Ron asked incredulously, coming to stand next to his sister.  
"That bastard bloody kicked Harry off his broom 500 feet up in the air!"

"I'm sure it wasn't on purpose," the Gryffindor Head soothed.

Dumbledore looked over at Harry, who was nursing his hurt arm, before glancing at the broken broom. The auburn haired professor frowned and turned to mister Vole.

"I think mister Potter should be disqualified," he announced.

Many sets of eyes widened in shock.

"What?!"

"Obviously, Harry used magic to keep his broom flying, which is against the rules," Dumbledore explained.

"I did not!" Harry defended himself furious.

"A broom that damaged can't possibly fly on itself my boy," the professor told him, and accusatory glint in his blue eyes.

"McLaggen threw him off his broom!" Alphard shouted.  
"What was he supposed to do? Just fall to his death instead?"

"Of course not. I am sure we are all very relieved that young mister Potter is safe and unharmed-"

"You call this unharmed?" Sirius asked dangerously.  
"His arm is _broken_! If anyone needs to be disqualified, it's that guy, not my Godson!"

"I understand your anger, mister Black, but I'm afraid you might be a bit prejudiced in this-"

"I am, am I?" Sirius scoffed.

"No disqualification!" mister Vole declared annoyed.  
"Slytherin won fair and square. Now everyone clear the field and get that boy to the hospital wing!"

The Weasleys quickly jumped in action and dragged Harry away while Sirius stayed behind to continue his argument with professor Dumbledore, who was still trying to explain Harry's foul to the flying instructor. McLaggen and the remainder of the Gryffindor team all glared daggers at Harry as he left, followed by the Weasleys and his own teammates.


	19. Hospital

**Alright, so I've been having trouble with this site. I can't read any of the reviews sent to me in the past four days AT ALL for ALL OF MY STORIES.**

 **I tried to send a mail to support to ask about this problem, since my best friend has the same thing going on, but I CAN'T and I don't know what to do. Just so you guys know, I'm very pissed off at this…**

 **I anyone knows how to fix this, please let me know by PM (because just sending a review obviously won't help)**

* * *

Hermione and Octavian were both already waiting for Harry and the Quidditch players at the hospital wing when they arrived. As soon as they walked close enough, Hermione flung herself in Harry's arms and hugged him tightly.

"That was terrifying!" she cried out.  
"Are you alright? Where does it hurt?"

"Just my arm, Hermione," Harry told her, chuckling softly.  
"I'm more worried about my broom. Apparently, it's wrecked beyond saving."

"Good thing it's just a broom," Octavian snorted.  
"If people are beyond saving, it's a lot more trouble."

"Weasley's got a point," Alphard snickered.

"Yeah! You can just mail order a new broom, Potter," Lestrange added grinning.  
"And you better get the newest of the racing broom line. If they cost too much, I'm willing to sponsor."

"I'll be fine, thanks."

"If you say so," Lestrange shrugged with a crooked grin.  
"But if you come walking in the pit next game with some crappy old stink broom, I'll beat you up."

Harry chuckled weakly and shook his head. He wanted to say something, but a loud bickering had him pause and look at the hallway. His expression darkened when he noticed Mulciber, Avery, Yaxley, Nott and the youngest Lestrange walked up to them, followed by a slightly reluctant and unusually pale Tom Riddle.

"Oi! Potter!" Mulciber called out when they reached the rest of the group.  
"That guy did it on purpose right? So we gotta take revenge, right? Because Nott over here says we should let the teachers handle it instead."

"Wuss," Dimitri Lestrange muttered, earning a painful jab from Nott's elbow.

"The teachers will punish him just fine, let's not get our hands dirty on that bloody arse," Avery spoke wisely.

"That's the whole reason why you guys should do something! Because he's a bloody arse!" Yaxley argued.

"Just leave it guys," Harry muttered, but he stayed unheard because Nicolas Lestrange spoke at the same time and a lot louder.

"Of course we'll bloody get that bastard back!" he announced.  
"Nobody messes with one of us. And Potter _is_ one of us now, isn't he?"

All Slytherin eyes landed on Tom for confirmation, making the teen smirk and Harry scoff in annoyance. Bright green met dark blue and Tom cocked his head questioningly. All others immediately switched their attention to the smaller dark haired male as well.

"Are you, Harry?" Tom asked innocently.

"No he's not!" Ginny immediately argued.

"And why's that?" Rosier asked defensively.  
"He's a Slytherin, just like us, why shouldn't we treat him like one of our own?"

"Do you have something against us, Weasley?" Dolohov asked dangerously.  
"Because if you do, then say so instead of glaring at us all the time and making snarky remarks!"

Both Dimitri Lestrange and Nott, who shared some of Ginny's classes along with Dolohov, nodded grimly. All three stared at the red haired girl with dark glares while Ginny just glared back with equal fury. Harry sighed.

"In case you all hadn't noticed," Ron suddenly spoke up.  
"But Harry kind of has a broken arm and who knows what else and needs to see the nurse."

Without waiting for any reply, the redhead grabbed his best friend by the shoulder and steered him away from all the commotion. Hermione joined their side in an instant, fussing over Harry like she usually did whenever he got himself hurt. Harry noted in dark amusement that it often seemed to happen when he was playing quidditch. At least Halloween had gone by without too much trouble.

The nurse came rushing towards him immediately. She took over from Ron and Hermione and steered Harry over to one of the bed, forcing him to lay down as she grabbed a few potions and sorted them on the bedside table.

"Mister Potter! What in Morgana's name were you thinking out there with those suicidal stunts?!" she demanded to know.

"I thought: 'McLaggen is a bloody prick and I'm not going to lose to him'," Harry replied deadpan.

Ron snorted in amusement but shut up right away when he saw the glare the nurse and Hermione shot him. More commotion sounded and soon, Harry's bed was surrounded by his teammates and Tom's followers. The man himself was standing in the back, or more accurately, leaning heavily against the wall. Harry frowned in worry as he noticed how exhausted Tom looked.

"Tom?" he asked worriedly.  
"Are you alright? You look pale."

"Just tired," Tom muttered.  
"An energy replenish potion and I'll be fine."

Harry frowned but didn't press the issue. He didn't have time for either anyway, as Alphard started telling him how bloody amazing he was for showing those 'dumb Gryffindor prats' how a real quidditch was played. Because of all the attention, he didn't notice how Hermione stared intensely at Tom, a sharp glint in her eyes.

. . . . .

Tom smiled at the nurse as she handed him the energy replenish potion and thanked her kindly. The woman, in her mid-thirties already, actually blushed. It was really disgusting that a lady of her age was attracted to a fifth year student, but Tom could use it to his advantage. After all, it was from her that he was able to get most of his more obscure potion ingredients.

"This is very kind of you madam Horn," he told her.  
"I am very sorry for bothering you while you obviously have better things to do."

He motioned towards Harry's bed and made sure to frown worriedly. The frown wasn't hard to do, but the feeling behind it was completely different. Tom wanted to do nothing more than yell at Harry, and curse him for good measure too. The idiot just had to continue flying after his broom broke down and now they were both here.

"Oh, don't worry Tom!" the nurse replied smiling.  
"You know I would always make time for you."

Tom almost gagged, but he kept his expression pleasant as he thanked her again. As she left him to fuss some more over Harry and shoo his crowd away, Tom took a chug of the potion and stood up. He grimaced at the disgusting taste of it and stood up, ready to leave.

"Tom!"

The young heir looked up to find the bushy brunette Ravenclaw approaching him. She was scowling a bit, but soon morphed her expression in a false smile. It was easily recognized for what it was if you knew where to look. It didn't reach her eyes at all, in fact, they seemed calculating.

"Can we talk for a moment please?" she asked.

Tom had absolutely no intention to talk to this imposter girl, but as she was a close friend of Harry and one of the few people who knew what he was really like, he would likely not get away with just waving her off. Besides, this girl was smart. It might be important. Tom plastered his most charming smile on his face and nodded.

"Of course we can miss Weasley," he said sweetly.  
"Do you mind talking as we walk? I'm very tired and I'd prefer returning to the dungeons."

"That is unsurprising, considering what you did," the girl mentioned offhandedly.

Tom tensed, but he did his best not to show his shock too much.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked coolly.

"Not many people would know such an intricate spell, and only a handful have the power for it," she replied, a small smile forming on her lips.  
"I know the spell, but I'm not powerful enough to keep a broom in the air like that, not from such a large distant and most certainly not that long."

Tom wasn't interested in hearing this girl tell him things he already knew. He was exceptionally talented after all. He knew he was one of the only two in this whole castle with such a large magical core that he could make things like that happen. Or was, until this year. He hadn't seen the limits of Harry's power yet, or was even able to read the depth of his core. It was artfully hidden and that was more than a little annoying to the Slytherin heir.

"I guess I'm caught," he sighed in a bored tone.  
"But I also know I'm not the only one keeping secrets."

This time, it was Hermione's turn to tense. Her eyes widened and Tom could see fear flickering in them. He smiled coldly at her. The look of fear suited her, he decided. It was familiar to him, and with all the strange things going on around him, he could do with a bit of familiarity. At least he knew he wasn't completely powerless against these time travellers. The girl looked away from him, her cheeks burning red and she swallowed nervously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered shakily.

"No? My dear miss… ah, _Weasley_ ," Tom tutted disappointed.  
"Let's not try lying to a legilimens. I know you know I can read minds."

"But you haven't yet," she pointed out.  
"At least not with me, and only once with Harry. I'd know when you did."

Tom raised a brow and the girl blushed again.

"I've read a lot about the subject," she confessed.  
"I know how to recognize legilimency, and I have been practicing occlumency since our arrival here."

"I'm sure you do," Tom replied smoothly, shooting her an amused grin.  
"Do you want to test out how well you've come along? Or will you just give me your real name without persuasion?"

"Why would you want to know my name?" Hermione asked quietly.

Tom narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. Hermione gulped in fear and took a step back, only for Tom to take another step towards her. Soon enough, Hermione was trapped against the wall, Tom's arms caging her in as he leaned closer, his dark blue eyes shining with a dark rage. Hermione couldn't help but blush furiously. Just a little closer and they would be kissing.

"Naughty thoughts there, _Weasley_ ," Tom snorted.

Hermione's eyes widened and she blushed even harder, in mortification now. Tom smirked darkly and cocked his head as he continued watching her in slight amusement.

"W-well, I… and… i-it's not-…" she muttered quietly, looking away.

He hadn't even used his mind tricks yet and he still knew exactly what she was thinking. She was absolutely sure about her ability to recognize legilimency, and the fact that Tom didn't even need it… No. he probably just guessed very accurately. After all, he was an extremely handsome boy and Hermione had witnessed the squealed confession of her dormmates almost every night as they recalled every step of the handsome Slytherin the day before like a group of professional stalkers.

"Let's get back to the more important matters, shall we?" Tom asked quietly, looking completely serious once again, though that was ruined by a teasing grin that was just slightly too sharp to be casual.  
"Try and keep your mind out of the gutter just a while longer."

"I-I'm really not of any significance to you though, am I?" Hermione whispered quietly.  
"So why would you care that I lie about my name?"

" _Because_ you lie about your name," Tom growled in annoyance.  
"Why on Earth would you lie if you aren't of any importance?"

Hermione bit her lips. She couldn't tell him, obviously. She changed her name for the sole purpose of staying out of Riddle's view, but that seemed to have worked backwards. Now, here she was, under Tom's tight scrutiny with no immediate way to get out. She looked back up, eyes wide and begging, hoping for Tom to just let the whole thing go, only to find the other frowning in concentration.

Hermione knew she should do or say something to get Tom's thought away from her identity. Or she should take the chance to escape, but she was nailed to the ground. Tom was a brilliant man, far beyond even her intelligence, though she would never admit this out loud. She'd seen him produce charms and do spells effortlessly while she still struggled and his essays were not only longer, but if Harry was to believe, he did them in less than half the time she did.

This was the very first time she ever saw his amazing brain at work up close and she couldn't help but watch in awe as the cogwheels in his mind turned furiously. She could almost see the ideas and possibilities flitting through his mind at lightning speed as he assessed them and then cast them off. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened and he focused back on her. Hermione shrunk into herself. At that moment, she knew she was lost.

"You are trying to keep low profile," he muttered in thought.  
"Obviously, either your name is quite meaningful, a significant member of your family is here and you do not wish them to know of you for specific reasons, or, most likely, you are afraid of my reaction if I was aware of who you really are."

Hermione almost breathed out in relieve when she realized Tom hadn't figured everything out yet. She relaxed a bit and gave a small smile, only for Tom to frown harder and press closer.

"You don't particularly look like anyone around here, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything," Tom continued.  
"I checked on your first name, providing you haven't changed that one too, but it doesn't come back in any old blood families, who usually chose a name with significance to their tradition. There is nothing special about it, other that it is a feminized version of the name Hermes. Your lack of knowledge and manners of a pureblood is also a dead give-away, though you are clearly more ahead than the Weasley cretins. Not a big accomplishment though…"

Again, Hermione was absolutely enchanted by the way Tom's mind worked. He took a little piece of information, or lack thereof, and twisted it into something useful. Even the smallest piece of a puzzle was nearly enough for him to make an entire picture. It was truly amazing. _He_ was truly amazing. Hermione had no idea how they could have ever thought they could outsmart this boy.

"I doubt you are related to anyone here. You are a good actress, but not good enough to hide the instant moment of recognition when coming across a relative. The other Weasley's have all had it, Black had it, and even Harry did the same thing with the Blacks… is he really related to them?"

The sudden change of course in the other teen's thinking startled Hermione and she stared at him with open mouth in shock. Before she really knew what was going on, she was already answering.

"N-not by blood… Sirius is only his godfather," she replied quietly.

Tom nodded and scowled again. For a moment, Hermione hoped they were done and the taller one would let her leave at last, but then, he started up again:

"That only leaves me with the last option," he said calmly.  
"You hide because of me, so the remaining question is why?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Tom held up his hand.

"The Potters and Weasleys are both very Light wizarding families. The first one is held in high respect by both Dark and Light wizards, for their influence in many different aspects of our society, but the Weasleys aren't a respectable family at all, in fact, they are often ridiculed and the only thing they do have going for them is Septimus' engagement with young miss Malfoy," Tom went on.  
"So you can't hide because of a bad name… unless you don't have a name at all."

His eyes searched for hers, but Hermione quickly turned her head. Her entire frame was shaking in fear. He knew. He _knew_! She was going to die. Suddenly, the caging body was gone from Hermione and she looked up, startled, only to find Tom a few paces away from her, staring blankly at her. Other than his expressionless face, he was completely relaxed. He hadn't even taken his wand.

"You're muggleborn," Tom stated eventually.  
"That's why you're afraid. I dislike your kind."

Hermione took a shuddering breath and she nodded slowly.

"I'm confused though," Tom muttered quietly.  
"Will I really come to hate even this lower part of the wizarding society that I wish you harm? I admit I care little for those who aren't from magical heritage, but I was once treated as a mudblood too."

This startled Hermione more than anything else that had transpired here.

"Y-you don't hate me?" she asked confused.

"No," the Slytherin heir replied casually.  
"Though I have to admit this is rather anticlimactic. I must say I'm quite disappointed."

Hermione couldn't help but release a breathless chuckle in relief. She wasn't in any danger from Tom, not yet at least. As another thought hit her, she tensed again.

"Now I am confused," she admitted frowning.  
"If you don't hate muggleborns, why do you…"

"Open the Chamber of Secrets?" Tom asked innocently, smirking.  
"Yes, your _'brothers'_ blabbed their mouths on that a while ago."

Hermione paled, but still nodded.

"That, is something very personal," Tom said darkly.  
"I don't expect someone like you to understand."

The brunette swallowed nervously and nodded. Though she liked to think of herself as brave, a true Gryffindor at heart even as she was now a Ravenclaw, she had to admit she was terrified of this teen. He was the future Dark Lord Voldemort after all, the terror of the wizarding world, the most dangerous man to have ever roamed Britain.

Satisfied with the conversation, Tom nodded at her in greeting and turned away. Hermione blinked as the other started walking away from her, and before she knew it, she darted after him. She grabbed his sleeve, forcing him to stop and turn back towards her. An eyebrow was raised inquisitively and she blushed.

"My real name is Hermione Granger," she told him shyly.  
"I… thank you for-… you-you'll keep it a secret won't you?"

"As long as you won't tell about my involvement with Harry's broom," Tom replied smoothly.

Hermione smiled and nodded eagerly. Dark blue eyes softened just slightly and Tom smiled back at her, for the first time doing so genuinely.

"Good day, Hermione," he spoke softly.

"You too, Tom," Hermione whispered back blushing.

After that, they both went their separate ways. Hermione couldn't help but grin widely and a new blush softly dusted her rosy cheeks. Tom was a very handsome, smart and charming male, and Hermione would most definitely have joined his fan club at the Ravenclaw girl's dorms, if she hadn't already set her sights on another handsome Slytherin boy…


	20. The Slug Club

**To: CielPhantomhiveandSebastian: Thanks again for the help, sadly, I don't have a smartphone, and my I-pod's been acting wonky with apps for a while now. I installed the app, but I can't open it :(**

 **So I tried to just look at my stories via the internet connection on my I-pod, and I can get on the site, but just as with my laptop, the last view-able review is from May 12. After that, nothing shows :( I just hope this is something temporary.**

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When Harry walked into the Great Hall the next morning, still a bit annoyed about having to spent the night in the hospital ward, he was immediately steered in his usual seat between Tom and Nicolas Lestrange. Alphard, who sat across from him smiled brightly in greeting before refocussing on his breakfast.

"All healed up, Potter?" Mulciber asked loudly, from Lestrange's other side.

"Yeah, all bones are right where they're supposed to be!" Harry replied grinning.

"But sadly, no one could do anything about his malfunctioning brain, fell too many times as a kid," someone behind Harry commented.

The Slytherin boys all looked up to find the Weasley twins and Ron and Hermione standing there, all grinning. Harry grinned back and waved. Alphard perked up and smiled brightly as his eyes met with Hermione's and the brunette blushed a bit. Harry looked between the two for a moment and smiled, before his attention was drawn by the three redheads.

"Hello, Harry," Fred greeted.

"Good to see you're up and about," George said.

"That bastard didn't leave any lasting damage, did he?" Ron asked slightly worried.  
"I'm honestly surprised with how Dumbledore just shrugged it off. Never would have thought he'd just let it be."

"If it was the other way around, Harry would have been kicked out of school before he could say 'it was an accident'," Rosier muttered darkly.

"But I didn't, so there is nothing to worry about," Harry told them dryly.

"You almost died!" Hermione exclaimed.

"So did I in first year, second year, third year… OH! And last year! Quidditch is a dangerous sport, no need to get all dramatic about it."

The Slytherins were all staring at Harry in shock at that while the Weasleys snickered amused and Hermione looked just plain angry. She huffed and glared at him for a short moment before turning around and stomping away.

"She's just really worried mate," Ron spoke up quietly.

"I know, I'll apologize to her later, I promise," Harry sighed.

Ron nodded and started after his 'twin sis', but turned back at Harry for a moment with a sly grin.

"Last year had nothing to do with quidditch mate," he pointed out.

"I know, I just felt like mentioning it," Harry shrugged.

Ron laughed a bit and walked away, leaving the Slytherins and his older brothers behind. The twins both grinned at Harry and Fred ruffled the raven's hair.

"Luckily, the things that usually nearly get you killed also make you a bloody amazing Seeker," he commented.

"If it didn't, everyone would just think you're insane or suicidal… or both," George added amused.  
"Most already do by the way. And not only about quidditch."

After that, they too left again. Harry turned back to his breakfast, but before he could even take a bite, he was bombarded by the many questions of his now extremely worried housemates.

"How many times did something like this happen!? Are you accident bait or something?"

"Why didn't you tell us you nearly died!?"

"What the hell are you doing playing quidditch even after getting hurt every year?"

"Did you really play in your first year? I mean, you're good, but that good?"

"What happened last year? Was it the war?"

"Ever thought about finding some solution to your accidents? I've got a medallion that protects from large physical harm, dad bought it at Knockturn last year after I got a bludger to the head. But if you need it more, you can borrow it."

Harry blinked at that last one and stared at Nicolas Lestrange in surprise.

"Is it cursed?" he asked sceptically.

"Not everything from Knockturn Alley is dangerous," Lestrange snorted.

Before Harry could reply to that, his arm was forcefully grabbed and Tom was dragging him out of the Hall. Harry frowned at the other and pulled his arm free the second they were in a secluded area. Tom turned around and faced him, a deep frown etched on his usually handsome face. Harry blinked. Had he just thought of Tom as handsome? Well… he was handsome of course, but-

"What the bloody hell was that about?!" Tom hissed, pulling Harry out of his thoughts.

"Huh? I was just joking around, nothing big, really-" Harry started, but Tom interrupted him.

"Are you trying to guilt trip me? Do you think saying these kind of stuff will make me change my mind? That I'll just decide that I should just give up on my ambitions because 50 years from now, I'll try and kill you?!" the taller teen raged.  
"Do you even know how unfair it is of you to spring this on me? Don't I deserve a chance? Why should I change at all if you blame me for things _I didn't even do yet_?!"

Harry blinked in confusion, but then it dawned on him how that conversation could have come over.

"What? No! it wasn't your fault! Not directly at least… except last year, but I'm not going to blame you for that! I know you didn't do any of that," Harry said quickly.

Now it was Tom's turn to be confused. He faltered, his angry expression morphing into one of shock and he scowled at Harry. His shoulders sagged in what Harry was pretty sure was relief, but he wasn't about to point out Tom's obvious ability to 'feel' as it would only have him close up again.

"… You didn't?" Tom asked unsure.

"No! I was just messing with my friends, that's all," Harry chuckled.

"By claiming near death experiences? That's pretty cruel," Tom pointed out dryly.

Harry scoffed.

"I didn't claim anything," he huffed offended.  
"I meant every word I said."

Tom's eyes widened in shock at that before he started glaring at Harry again, only this time about a whole different reason. It was a weird thought that Tom Riddle was worried about Harry while he before – or in the future – wanted him dead.

"Explain," Tom commanded.

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes before he started explaining almost reluctantly.

"First year was my own fault. I basically jumped off a flying broom to get to the snitch before the other Seeker could get it. Nearly swallowed the bugger too. Then, second year, a house elf possessed a bludger so I would just go back home and not come across your diary, which didn't work by the way. Only thing it did was that one of my teachers – incompetent narcissist, really – vanished all the bones in my arm. In third year I was attacked by dementors during a game. No quidditch during fourth year. And here I am! Still very much alive, thank you."

The two glared at each other for a good long while before Tom huffed and turned away, stomping off towards the dungeons. Harry rolled his eyes again and returned to the Great Hall. Let the bastard stew for a while, he was acting too weird for Harry's liking lately anyway.

. . . . .

When he walked back into the hall and took his seat again, the entire group looked at him expectantly. Harry frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"What's going on with you and Tom lately? You're either attached to the hip or your fighting," Avery asked.

Harry shrugged and turned towards his food, not in the mood to explain himself, or Tom for that matter. He had no idea how to anyway. What could he possibly say? Tom was going to become an evil Dark wizard and kill Harry's parents and the two of them were trying to get along for mutual benefits, but had a hard time because Harry wanted him to change?

"Well, I hope you're ready for tonight," Nicolas Lestrange spoke, wisely changing the subject.

"What's tonight?" Harry asked confused.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Alphard exclaimed wide eyed.  
"It's Slug Club tonight! You did invite Hermione, right? Slughorn would be upset if you guys didn't show."

"The man loves his trophies," Mulciber snickered.

"Are you all members?" Harry asked curiously.

"Sure are!" Rosier replied proudly.

"Let's see… in Slytherin, there's us, Walburga, Lucretia, my sister, Megan and Tom of course," Nicolas counted.

"In Ravenclaw, there's Malfoy, Selwyn, Rudderfort and now apparently Weasley," Mulciber added.

"The Prewett brothers and Diggory from Hufflepuff and the Longbottom twins, Carter and McKinnon from Gryffindor," Avery finished.

"Usually, he only invites the Slytherins in the weekends. He asks the others only on special occasions," Alphard told Harry.

"Sounds like House prejudice," Harry muttered.

"He's allowed to," Rosier snickered.  
"He is our Head of House after all."

"And what's the meaning of this club anyway?" Harry questioned curiously.

"On our side, it means we get to have some great contacts with ex-students," Mulciber explained.  
"Slughorn tells about us to his favourite and most successful old students and introduces us to important people. We end up getting more chances than most to find proper jobs in high places, things like that."

"And on his side?" Harry wanted to know.

"We give him the ego-stroking the fat coot needs," Lestrange said, a self-satisfied grin in place.  
"Tell him he's a great teacher and how we would never have gotten so far without him… things like that. When we get somewhere, we'll allow him to take credit. That's all."

Harry scowled. This sounded awfully Slytherin to his ears and honestly, he wasn't exactly sure if he liked it much. Teacher and students using each other for personal gain. He tried to ignore that it was more or less the same with him and Tom. He wanted to use Tom to save his own time, and Tom wanted his knowledge about the future.

. . . . .

When Harry and Alphard arrived at Ravenclaw Tower later that evening, they found Hermione talking animatedly with Coral Rudderfort and Johnathan Selwyn, who were both year mates of them and apparently also new members of the club. The only older Ravenclaw student part of the elite club of the eccentric potions master, 7th year prefect Lucinda Malfoy, was standing near them. As she saw Alphard and Harry, the blond girl smiled.

"So," she said softly.  
"Now we can go I guess."

It struck Harry that, even though she really did remind him of a female Draco at first sight, she was the complete opposite of her future grand-nephew in personality. She was quiet, a little shy and from what he'd heard also rather naïve.

"Yep!" Alphard chirped cheerfully before offering Hermione his arm.  
"Shall we, miss Weasley?"

Hermione blushed furiously and took the offered arm with a small smile. Rudderfort giggled at the sight, sharing a mischievous grin with Hermione as the brunette looked over to her dorm mate. Harry smiled too, happy that his friend was settling in their new life well and was even starting to make her own friends in her new House, just like he did.

The small group laughed and talked a lot as they walked back towards the dungeons, where professor Slughorn had his office. Harry of course knew where that was, it was the same Snape had used in his own time, but to keep his act going, he needed to act clueless.

When they at last arrived, Harry didn't need to really act when he saw the space. Instead of the somewhat depressing and stoic décor Snape had always preferred, Slughorn chose for extravagant.

"Ah! There you are! How wonderful for you to join us!" Horace Slughorn exclaimed grinning.

"Forgive us for being late, professor," Malfoy spoke quietly, smiling a little.

"Nonsense my dear girl!" the pompous potions master chuckled.  
"There is nothing to be forgiven, seeing as you aren't even the last."

Harry looked around himself. He saw the Gryffindors sitting together, talking with the Prewett brothers while both Rosier and Avery were trying to win the attention of the beautiful Rosetta Diggory. Mulciber was shamelessly flirting with a very disinterested Lucretia Black while Walburga, the two Lestranges and Megan Yaxley were flocked together, looking at the duo with great amusement. Harry's lips twitched as well, until he noticed there was indeed one person missing at the scene: Tom Riddle.

"It's really unlikely for our Tom to arrive late, isn't it?" Slughorn muttered thoughtful.

"Yeah, it is," Harry agreed absentmindedly.

He was a little worried. Tom had perfect records, he would do nothing even remotely suspicious unless he had a very good reason. He just hoped he wasn't that reason.

"There you are!"

Harry turned around when he heard his professor call out cheerfully towards the door and smiled when he saw Tom walking in. The handsome teen smiled apologetically at their head of house as he walked in.

"I'm very sorry, sir. I simply lost track of time doing the essay on Angel Trumpet's Draught. Such a fascinating subject," the young Dark Lord spoke smoothly.

Harry rolled his eyes as he saw their teacher beam happily at the praise of the young genius. Tom glanced his way just for a moment before looking back at the fat potions teacher and smiled.

"It is, it is!" professor Slughorn cheered.  
"I knew you'd like that particular assignment. Such a bright young lad you are. But you mustn't forget to enjoy yourself from time to time. After all, you are still so very young."

"Of course professor, but isn't learning about potions fun?" Tom asked, feigning confusion.

"Such a bright young lad indeed!" Slughorn laughed, patting Tom's shoulder before he walked off.

As soon as the potion's master had turned away, Tom's smile fell and he wiped his hand, a disgusted sneer on his face before he turned away. Yaxley walked over and snickered as she saw what Tom was doing and she slapped his shoulder.

"As usual, you really play the fool well, Tom," she said grinning.

"As usual, you can't keep your mouth shut, Megan," the boy shot back.

The girl smirked and shrugged before she walked away. Harry rolled his eyes and glared at Tom, who once again continued to ignore him.

"What's with you today?" Harry hissed annoyed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're acting like a petulant child, that's what I'm talking about!"

Tom turned to him, his eyes blazing in anger at the accusation. He took a step closer to Harry, his wand half-raised before he realized where he was and relaxed again, though his anger was in no way gone yet.

"I don't need to explain myself to you," he spoke coldly.  
"Just because you think you can walk into my life and change me into something I'm not, doesn't mean I'll accept that."

Harry blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to retort. Before any reply could be made, however, Slughorn called his guests together for dinner. Tom turned his back resolutely towards Harry and walked over, taking a seat between Yaxley and Rosier. Harry sighed and walked over to Alphard and Hermione. The first pulled out a chair and led the latter towards it as a true gentleman, making Hermione blush madly.

"Enjoy!" Slughorn spoke, clapping in his hands.

To everyone's delight, many delicious foods appeared on the table in front of them. While the cheerful conversations went on, the teens all started filling their plates with their favourites, thanking Slughorn for his invitations as they did.

"Now, what I wanted to talk to you all was actually the New Year's party," the pompous professor spoke up after a short while.  
"I know most of you will be going home for the holidays, but since I will be hosting the party on January the 1st, like usual, I'd like to ask all of you to come back a day or two earlier if you could. It would be a shame if you missed the party after all."

"My family will be spending the holidays in Greece, professor," Yaxley spoke up.  
"I'll do my best to get here in time, but I'm not sure how well that'll work."

"Of course my dear! I completely understand. Family comes first doesn't it?" Slughorn laughed.  
"Which reminds me… what are the plans for our newest students?"

"Our cousins Octavian and Septimus have invited me and my siblings to spend Christmas with their family," Hermione told him.

Harry felt a pang of jealousy. The Potters hadn't contacted him at all and he wasn't even sure they knew he existed. He knew his grandfather's younger brother, Charlus Potter had graduated about three years ago, along with his wife, Dorea Black. With a small frown, he wondered if the Potters would have invited him over to their home to celebrate Christmas if Charlus was still in school.

"What about you, Harry?"

Harry was pulled out of his musings at the question of his teacher and smiled a bit.

"I'll be staying at school, professor," he said.

McKinnon snorted at that and sent Harry a look that seemed to say he wasn't at all surprised the Potters hadn't asked for Harry. This made the green eyed wizard frown. Would his family really just abandon him because he was a Slytherin?

"Well, Tom always stays at school as well, so you'll have good company," Slughorn spoke smiling.

"I'm sure I will, sir," Harry replied dutifully.

He glanced over towards the young Slytherin heir doubtfully, but as before, Tom refused to acknowledge him. There was a burning pain in Harry's chest at the obvious dismissal of Tom and he looked away, wondering what he had done wrong to anger the older boy.


	21. Hogsmeade

The next few weeks were painful for Harry. He tried to talk with Tom several times, but the other boy dismissed him every time. They still worked together on every class project they had and they went on in the same circles, but Harry no longer sat next to him at the table in the Great Hall, and Tom didn't help him with homework anymore either. In fact, they barely even spoke to each other anymore. Only when it was necessary.

Right now, they were all having breakfast, with Harry sitting between Alphard and Megan. By now, he'd grown so used to this gang that he spoke to most of them using their first names. Avery was still Avery because he had a difficult first name, the same with Nott, and Dolohov and Mulciber disliked their names, so they stayed Dolohov and Mulciber as well.

"Last time going to Hogsmeade before Yule Holidays," Nicolas spoke up.  
"Time to get those Christmas shopping done, right?"

"You mean you haven't yet?" Avery asked shocked.

"I got most, but Tom's really hard to buy for," Mulciber joined in.

"Then don't buy me anything," the Slytherin Heir shrugged.

"And be the only idiot who didn't get you anything for your birthday? No thanks."

"Wait. It's almost your birthday Tom?" Harry asked shocked.  
"Why didn't anyone tell me? When is it?"

"December 31, New year's Eve," Alphard replied.  
"When's yours anyway? I don't think we know yet either."

"Please tell me it's months away," Michael groaned.  
"I have used up all my money on Christmas presents for you all."

"July 31, so you're off the hook," Harry chuckled.

"Summer birthdays are the best!" Dimitri grinned.  
"That means more time for us to find the right presents. And you can host an actual party. I always do. Mine's August 17."

Harry grinned and nodded, promising to remember it and the youngest Lestrange beamed at him. A little poke in his side had Harry turn back towards the boy sitting next to him and he raised a brow.

"What about Hermione's?" Alphard asked curiously.

Harry tensed. They never talked about that. Ron and Hermione were supposed to be twins, and they had perfected their story to the details, except that very important part: their date of birth.

"I-its-" he stuttered.

"Harry! I need to borrow you for our group project for professor Dumbledore," Tom suddenly called out.

Harry startled when he heard the command, but he was just too happy to be out of there to really care about the tone. He stood up, excusing himself with the others before rushing after the young dark lord. Only when they were already halfway towards the library did Harry realize something and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"We already finished that assignment," he said frowning.

"You're welcome by the way," Tom muttered lazily.

"Then why are we still going to the library?" Harry asked confused.

"I need to look something up and you can show your gratitude for saving your ill-thought front by carrying the books for me."

Harry frowned and glared at Tom's back when the other started walking again.

"And I'll give you some tips on what to buy the others, seeing as you don't know them that well yet."

"You'd do that?" Harry asked shocked.

"What did you think? I'm some evil bastard who doesn't care at all about his friends?" the teenage dark lord snorted.

"… Didn't even know you actually considered them friends," Harry muttered.

"How hurtful! I care deeply for them all and-" Tom stopped with a small chuckle and shook his head.  
"Well, I can't lie to you though, can I, Harry? Keeping them happy makes everything easier for me."

"Of course it is," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"So, the Lestrange brothers and Alphard are all enormous quidditch fans. There isn't much they don't have about it though. I would suggest those special quidditch collection cards for Dimitri, and Alphard would be happy with the first edition of Quidditch Through the Ages. Mulciber is a Dark Arts lover and-"

"I hope you don't expect me to buy anything Dark for any of them," Harry hissed.  
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm against it."

"Dumbledore really got his hooks in you, didn't he?" the Slytherin Heir asked with a roll of his eyes.  
"Dark Arts has nothing to do with 'evil'. In case you hadn't realized. Everything sits in the intend. Even the lightest spells could easily be used with deadly force. Dark Arts is mostly offensive, yes, but not bad. Mulciber perfected the arts of utilizing Dark Magic in daily tasks. He did this because he has the strongest affinity to the Arts, aside from me and is nearly entirely useless using Neutral and Light Magic."

Harry scowled in thought at the new information and nodded. They had reached the library at this point and Tom quickly swept towards the old tomes filled with family registers of the past few centuries.

"Now, I'd suggest a trinket, a Dark Arts collectable. He doesn't exactly use them, but he collects all kinds of cursed objects. Don't ask me why though. Michael and Megan are into duelling, get them a book on the subject or one of those special duelling robes. I think Megan was still looking for new duelling gloves. Avery is a reader. Fictional stories, even muggle, believe it or not. Dolohov and Nott play a lot of wizarding chess, but only Nott has a set. He's a history freak. One of the very few who ever bother listening to Binns' classes."

"What are you getting them?" Harry asked when Tom was done talking.

"Nothing. I never do," Tom replied with a shrug.  
"I'm an orphan with no money. None of them expect any present from me."

"Right… sorry to bring that up, I guess," the younger teen mumbled embarrassed.

Tom looked over at him before turning back towards the books he had been scanning. He picked a few up and handed them to Harry before he walked over to another bookcase and added a few more. After that, he led Harry to one of the tables in the back.

"I'd give something to Walburga as well if you want to get in her good graces, and trust me, it would make things a lot easier," Tom continued their conversation easily.  
"Of course, winning the Quidditch Cup would also help a lot. She loves the ridiculous sport nearly as much as her brother. A necklace or earrings are the best choice. Ask one of your female friends to help you if you don't know what to get her, but make sure it is exclusive or at least looks expensive."

Harry nodded and glanced over to the books.

"What are you looking for anyway?" he asked.

"My parents. At least one of them has to be in here somewhere."

Harry tensed immediately. He eyed Tom warily as the other teen turned to look at him questioningly. A shadow crossed Tom's expression and he stared at Harry blankly.

"I should have guessed you know something about my family," he spoke dryly.

"Not much," Harry confessed stiffly.  
"But I know that I don't want you to go look for them."

"And why is that?" Tom asked scowling.  
"Let me guess, I'll kill them. Really, Harry is that what you think?"

"I don't _think,_ I _know_!" Harry growled, balling his fists.  
"I've seen the grave, Tom! I've been there and I know you killed him!"

"I'll kill my father? Why? When?"

"Not at all," Harry replied resolutely.  
"Because you won't go looking for him."

When he said that, Harry picked the books back up from where he had set them on the table and walked back to the bookcases. Tom growled in annoyance and rushed after Harry, blocking his way.

"Then at least tell me what you know!" he hissed.

"Fine! You're the Heir of Slytherin, but I bet you already figured that out. Must be your mum's side though because from what I gathered, your dad is a muggle. You killed them one summer after returning from Hogwarts, but I don't know when that'll happen either."

Harry sighed and carded through his hair in slight frustration.

"Please, Tom, don't ruin your own future like that," he muttered in an almost defeated tone.  
"Think of everything you can become if you did the right thing. I really like you, you know."

"How adorable of you," Tom drawled smirking, which widened as Harry glared at him.

"Shut up," Harry grumbled.

. . . . .

After their talk, Tom went back to mostly ignoring Harry, much to the other teen's annoyance. The Hogsmeade trip was getting closer and Tom was quick to tell the others that he would be staying at school instead of joining them, claiming to wish to do some more research. Harry had been tempted to stay as well, afraid that the young Dark Lord would try and find his parents, or worse, find the Chamber, but he really had to find Christmas presents for the others, so he grudgingly joined the Weasleys and Hermione.

He already had presents for his favourite gang of redheads, so he only needed to find gifts for his Slytherin mates. He'd written down all the things Tom had told him to help him so it hadn't really taken all that long to find everything he needed and Hermione and Sirius had suggested to help with finding the right thing to appease Walburga. The ex-convict was sent along as supervisor to the village and make sure none of the students got in trouble.

"Alphard asked for your birthdate," Harry mentioned offhandedly to Hermione as they were looking around for jewellery.

Ron and Ginny had taken off towards Quidditch equipment, but Harry knew they'd backtrack soon towards the bookstore for a gift for Hermione. Ron always did his Christmas shopping on the last minute. The twins, in the meantime were no doubt at Zonko's, which in this time had only a very small shop in the village.

"He did?!" Hermione asked excitedly, before her eyes widened in horror.  
"Oh, Merlin! We forgot about that, didn't we?! What did you tell him?"

"Nothing. Tom called me away in time," the young wizard shrugged.  
"But he'll try again soon enough, so we better have an answer ready."

"We'll talk with Ron after we found you the perfect present for Walburga," Hermione spoke resolutely before faltering a bit.  
"Did you ask when Alphard's birthday is? I-I mean, if he plans to get me something, then I should at least do the same, right?"

Harry chuckled and nodded in agreement, his amusement only growing when he saw Hermione smile widely. She grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him over to where Sirius was eyeing a case filled with very expensive gold necklaces. With a determined nod, Hermione pointed towards a set of green diamond earrings. The gemstones were carved in the form of stars and hung from a small golden chain connected to smaller round green stones.

"I think she'll like these," Hermione told the two men triumphantly.

"Looks like her style," Sirius nodded in agreement.

Harry frowned and eyed the price tag, nearly running for the hills when he noticed they almost cost as much as all the presents for his other housemates together.

"For that price, she better bloody loves them," he muttered.

Now, he only needed to find a present for Tom and he'd be done. Yeah, like that was going to be easy.


	22. Under the Mistletoe

Harry walked his friend to the train station the day they left for the Christmas holidays. He'd miss them, especially since apparently everyone was going. Because of the war raging in Europe, both in the wizarding world and the muggle world, everyone wanted to spend as much time with their loved ones while they were still relatively safe. This meant that Tom and he would be the only two in Slytherin staying behind.

Harry sighed once the train left and started walking back to the castle. Tom hadn't talked to him ever since their conversation in the library and Harry dreaded a lonely Christmas. At least he had letters and presents of his friends to look forward to, and Hermione had promised to try and come back a bit earlier for the New Year's party of Slughorn. They'd even agreed to go together.

The whole castle was quiet and empty, with barely any student left. Several of the teachers, the ones with family, were also gone, leaving the remaining students with only Dumbledore, Slughorn, Merrythought, Sirius and the Ground Keeper. Since there were only about a small dozen students, it was enough.

"Potter!"

Right, sadly, among the Gryffindor students staying behind were McLaggen, McKinnon and Smith. With a sigh, Harry turned to face them, expression blank. He really didn't know what their problem was, but they kept harassing him every time he was on his own.

"Looking for something? Your precious 'Lion Pride' maybe?" he asked.  
"Sorry, haven't seen it. I guess you left that with your brains in some dusty corner."

"Shut your bloody trap, traitor!" McLaggen hissed.

"Yeah! We don't need to hear stuff like that from a cowardly snake!" Smith joined in.

Harry's expression darkened immediately. He glowered angrily at the three older teens in front of him and took a step forward, smirking when he saw McKinnon tense suddenly, his eyes widening in slight fear.

"I'm the coward?" he asked softly.  
"Try that again when you're not cornering a younger student three against one you twat!"

Smith growled and took a threatening stance, fisting his wand and aiming it at Harry. Harry wasn't all that worried and even smirked because he had seen another person approach behind the three older boys. He chuckled a bit and nodded in greeting.

"Everything alright here?" Sirius asked casually, making the Gryffindors jump at his voice.

"Mister Black!" McKinnon exclaimed shocked.  
"Potter was taunting Smith and even threatened us!"

Sirius blinked and cocked his head, looking over towards Harry with a thoughtful expression. Harry saw the scowl growing on his godfather's face and had to stifle a laugh wanting to bubble up.

"Did he? Huh… that doesn't sound like my _nephew_ …" he muttered with faux confusion lacing his voice.

" _Nephew_?!" the three boys shouted in shock.

"Of course he is!" McLaggen groaned.  
"That explains why a _Potter_ , a perfectly proper _Light family_ ends up in the Snake Pit!"

"Right, because all snakes are evil, right?" Harry hissed.  
"I can tell you right bloody now that all of them are better than you dimwits!"

"Alright! Listen you little prat! Just because you let Riddle in your pants-" Smith started.

"Keep talking and maybe you won't even survive until detention," Sirius growled.

"Detention?" McKinnon asked shocked.

"Yes. All three of you will be spending some time cleaning the dungeons with me the next few nights."

"What about Potter?!" Smith cried angrily.

Sirius smirked and winked at his godson.

"I guess I might be a bit biased," he chuckled.

. . . . .

"You're back late," Tom noted as Harry walked back into the common room.

Harry paused and glanced over at the older teen in surprise. It were the first words Tom had spoken to him in a week, so he wasn't really expecting it. Smiling, he walked over to the fireplace and plopped down in the seat across from the Slytherin Heir.

"I ran into some trouble," he muttered.  
"Those Gryffindor pricks saw me walking alone again."

Tom growled, his knuckles turning white as he grasped his book tightly. Harry noticed and scowled. He really had to learn being careful with what he said around the teenage dark wizard. The other was strangely protective over him, he noticed. At least whenever the older teen bothered acknowledging Harry's existence, that is.

"Sirius fixed it for me though," he continued hurriedly.  
"Now, they have to clean the dungeons with him because they insinuated I sleep with you."

"They obviously don't know you that well," Tom snorted.  
"You're too bloody thick, otherwise I would have fucked you a long time ago."

He stood up, packed his books and left to the dorms, leaving a spluttering and blushing Harry behind.

. . . . .

The next few days, Tom was back to ignoring Harry. With only two of them in all of Slytherin, it was an awkward tension, and as such, both avoided the dungeons like a plague, only finding themselves in each other's company at night when they went to sleep.

Harry spent his time wandering around the castle and helping out Sirius while Tom stayed in the library most of the time. It worked out for them, though Harry's mood took a dive for the worse whenever he found himself ignored once again by the teenage Dark Lord. Why, he had no idea, but it made him upset to be cast aside like that.

At the moment, Harry was mindlessly wandering through the halls of the castle, not really knowing where he should go when he saw Tom walk briskly through the hall ahead of him. He frowned. For as long as the holiday had been going on, Tom had stayed in the library, or at least, Harry hadn't once seen him anywhere else. But what was he doing all the way out here?

Curious, Harry decided to follow him to find out. It might be nothing of course, but Harry couldn't get out of his head that this was _Tom Riddle_ the young version of _Voldemort_. It could just as easily be some evil masterplan to burn all muggles. Better safe than sorry he supposed, and if it was nothing and Tom found out he was following him, he'd apologize and try to make it up to him. Besides, Tom knew very well that Harry was suspicious of him, and with good reason too. They both knew that.

"Mr. Potter. What are you doing all the way out here all on your own?"

Harry jumped a bit in surprise and turned around quickly to face his professor. He winced at the sight of Dumbledore, still a bit bitter about his reactions during the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match earlier that month. Back in his own time, Harry never realized Dumbledore was this unfair. Then again, he had been the favourite of his old professor, so he guessed that might have had something to do with it.

"Just walking, sir," Harry said quickly when he noticed Dumbledore was still waiting for a reply.

"Just walking? It looked rather like sneaking to me, my boy," the Transfigurations professor said, his blue eyes twinkling amused.  
"Were you following Mr. Riddle? Such a curious thing to do."

"Nothing like that professor!" Harry hurried.  
"It's just… well, Tom said he hid my present somewhere, and I'm getting rather curious…"

The auburn haired man chuckled amused and patted Harry on his shoulder.

"Now, now, you should practice some patience my dear boy!" he said jovially.  
"After all, it is already Christmas Eve. I suspect you'll know what his gift will be in the morning."

"I suppose you're right, professor," Harry sighed.

"Why not join me for some tea for the time being until dinner will be served?" Dumbledore suggested kindly.

Harry wanted to decline and go after Tom, but the older teen had long since disappeared and there would be no way Harry would be able to find him again in the big castle. A bit annoyed, he nodded his consent and followed the Gryffindor Head towards his office.

It was the same office as McGonagall's in another time, but decorated entirely different, Harry barely even recognized it. Many trinkets and souvenirs of Dumbledore's travels were neatly stacked on shelves and the walls were a warm orange. Though the room looked much more welcoming like this, Harry found he missed McGonagall's version of the place.

"Chamomile tea good for you?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully.

"Yes, thank you," Harry muttered.

Dumbledore smiled and handed Harry a cup of steaming hot tea. He offered the teen something off a tray with several assortments of pastries, but Harry declined politely, saying he didn't want to ruin his appetite.

"So, how is Hogwarts befalling you?" the professor asked kindly.

"Very well, sir," Harry replied with a small smile.

The time traveller was suddenly overwhelmed by a strong feeling of nostalgia. In other times, Dumbledore would ask Harry to come to his office from time to time and they'd talk things over. He'd ask how Harry was doing in classes and the like, if he was alright, especially after a run-in with Voldemort was Dumbledore always extra attentive towards him. Except last time. Harry had watched Cedric Diggory die at the hands of the Dark Lord, and Dumbledore just dismissed him and sent him back to his aunt and uncle without an ounce of information.

"That's good to hear," the auburn haired man smiled.  
"And Slytherin is treating you well I hope?"

Harry could hear the true meaning of the question behind the words. _Is Tom doing something suspicious?_ Harry frowned a small second before plastering a large, bright smile on his face.

"Very," he said.  
"Made loads of friends already. I was a bit apprehensive at first because I'm the first Potter ever in Slytherin of course, but they've welcomed me with open arms!"

"I'm very glad," Dumbledore said.  
"Now. I do believe dinner is about to be served. Why don't we go down together?"

"That's alright with me professor," Harry agreed as he stood up from his seat.

. . . . .

Dinner was pretty much as uninteresting as it could get. There were a total of five Gryffindors left, the three sixth years, a first year and a third year. Three muggleborns in Huffelpuf and a third year and a fourth year in Ravenclaw. They had all moved to sit together at the Gryffindor table, and Harry would have loved to join them if he hadn't known he wouldn't be welcome thanks to the oldest students still left in the castle. At least he wasn't all on his own.

Harry couldn't stop sending questioning glances towards Tom, who sat across from him and was eating undisturbed from his fried chicken. Harry was burning with curiosity about what the older student had been doing sneaking around, but he knew the question wouldn't be appreciated.

"Something on your mind, Harry?" Tom asked, not even bothering to look up from his plate.

"Not really," Harry muttered reluctantly, before he changed his mind.  
"How's research going? Still looking for your parents or are you doing homework?"

Tom glanced up at last and raised a brow.

"You've got something else on your mind," he pointed out.

Harry frowned and opened his mouth to deny this, but Tom was already back to eating. With an annoyed huff, Harry looked away.

"How about we try and be honest to each other every once in a while," he suggested through clenched teeth.  
"And by that I mean, you tell me what I want to know, or I won't tell you anything."

"So we're to threatening now?" Tom asked innocently, batting his eyes at Harry.  
"Darling, when you take control like that, I get all hot and bothered."

Harry groaned and dragged his hands over his face in frustration. At times like these, he missed dealing with Voldemort, at least that version of the infuriating teen in front of him he understood. Tom Riddle was too sarcastic, too intelligent, and disturbingly enough, too sane.

Just then, Sirius decided to join them. He gave Harry a wide grin as he plopped down on the seat next to his godson before nodding in greeting towards Tom.

"You two looked like you could use some company," he commented lightly as he started filling a plate for himself.

Harry chuckled and shook his head, sending the older man a crooked grin.

"Always appreciated, Sirius," he said amused.

"Since you're here, I've been wondering about something," Tom quickly took reign of the conversation again, looking curiously at Sirius.

"Go ahead," Sirius said, eyeing him warily.

"Alphard, Cygnus or Orion. Which one is your father?"

Harry and Sirius shared a surprised look with each other at the unexpected question and Tom smirked. He really did love catching people off guard. It made it easier to get information off them. Start with confusing them, and they wouldn't realize it if they gave away important information until it was too late.

"I don't think it's Cygnus," he continued undisturbed.  
"Neither of you show much interest in him, though you have been acting a bit wary around Michael's little sister, Druella."

"Orion," Sirius bit out, almost bitterly.  
"And Walburga is my mother. What's it to you."

"Just curious," Tom shrugged smirking a bit at the dual confused looks of Harry and Sirius.  
"So, purebloods still intermarry, don't they? After all, Walburga and Orion are second cousins. It's truly marvelling how wizarding kind can be both so superior and so behind to the muggle world. It's like they've never heard of science and genetics."

Sirius and Harry blinked uncomprehendingly at Tom's words. From everything they had expected Tom to say, this certainly wasn't it. The Tom Riddle they knew was an extreme Pureblood Supremacist. He would never had considered anything muggle superior to wizards. Tom grinned wider at their stares.

"What? Never heard of the negative side effects of inbreeding?"

"Of course I bloody know!" Sirius growled offended.  
"I even tried telling my parents! Got me blasted from the Family Tapestry for it too."

"Oh? I guess that explains why you claim to be the son of Phineas Black. He was disowned too."

Harry growled in annoyance and slapped Sirius' arm before the man could reply to the sting of the young Slytherin Heir. He glared at his godfather in warning before turning back towards Tom.

"I know what you're trying," he growled.

Tom smirked and cocked his head in a mock innocent gesture.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked with fake confusion.  
"I was just trying to hold a polite conversation."

. . . . .

Harry was still fuming when he walked back to the common room. Tom had left the Great Hall a few minutes before him while he had joined Sirius for a little talk in the man's office. Sirius was very upset that he'd fallen straight into Tom's little trap and it had taken Harry a while to make him calm down.

"There you are you little prick."

Harry turned around quickly. He was barely a few feet away from the secret entrance of the Slytherin common room when McKinnon caught up to him. Harry frowned. The older teen looked extremely pissed off.

"What do you want?" he asked warily.

"You got me and my mates in detention! That's what," the Gryffindor captain growled.

"No. You did that all on your own," Harry pointed out.  
"You tried to attack me. Not even the first time either."

"Because you bloody deserve it you little-"

"There you are, Love!" Tom called out, sticking his head out from the doorframe to the Slytherin rooms.  
"I've been waiting much too long! You know I can't sleep without you there right next to me…"

McKinnon nearly choked on the air at Tom's sudden appearance, making Harry smirk. Figures the older teen was a homophobe.

"I'll be right there, Babe," Harry purred.

Tom grinned and winked at him in a suggestive manner before disappearing back inside the common room. Harry smirked at McKinnon before brushing past him and towards the room. Tom was already waiting for him in his favourite comfy chair in the back.

"That was a bloody stroke of genius," Harry chuckled as he dropped down in the seat next to him.  
"How'd you know the prat was a homophobe anyway?"

Tom chuckled.

"McKinnon and his lot's 'dislike' of those of us in same-gender relationships is well known on school grounds," Tom said delicately.  
"I'm still waiting eagerly until they finally realize their _hero_ Dumbledore is a gay."

"Dumbledore is gay?" Harry asked shocked.

Tom stopped talking and stared at Harry with an unreadable expression. For a moment, he looked almost awestruck before he started chuckling softly. Harry flushed in shame as the feeling that Tom was mocking him rushed over him and looked away with a scowl. Because of this, he didn't notice Tom moving until he stood behind his chair and put his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"How little can you possibly know?" he asked amused.  
"Did you just rush into the past without any knowledge ahead? What, were you a Gryffindor in the future?"

"So what if I was?" Harry snarled.

"Ah, well, that explains a lot I suppose."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"So, I don't have a lot of foreknowledge," he admitted, albeit somewhat reluctant.  
"But Hermione is our researcher. She knows enough for all of us."

"Yes, I can see how much use you have in that being here without her," Tom drawled sarcastically.  
"Do you need her too for figuring out my intentions, Darling, or can you finally guess those yourself."

"Your intentions?" Harry asked confused.  
"Do you mean genocide and muggle annihilation?"

"Is that what you think of me?" Tom asked lowly.

Harry tensed and realized his mistake. He shouldn't let Tom rile him up like this.

"No," he started carefully.  
"That's what I think of Voldemort. The one from my time. You're different from him."

"Am I?" Tom asked quietly.

"Yeah. You're… you're nothing like him actually. And you're right, I came here completely unprepared. I thought I'd find a younger version of the man I knew in my time, but instead…"

Harry stopped talking when he felt the hot breath against his neck as Tom leaned closer to him and started blushing a bit. Tom smiled and leaned even closer, his lips barely brushing against the younger teen's ear.

"You found me?"

"Yeah. I found you."

Tom hummed and leaned away again, rounding the chair so he was standing in front of Harry.

"Does it disappoint you, to find me instead of him?" he asked quietly.

He was looming over Harry now, both his hands on the arms rests on Harry's sides as his face was only inches from the other teen's. Harry stared in the dark blue eyes of the teenage Dark Lord and suddenly found himself unable to speak. Instead, he swallowed and shook his head.

Only a second later, he felt smooth lips against his own. Harry tensed. It was the second time since he'd arrived here that Tom had kissed him and the first time was still fresh in his memories. The other had used the moment of weakness to steal Harry's wand and use legilimency on him. Even knowing that, Harry couldn't help but relax into the kiss. The feeling of the young Voldemort's lips against his was truly electrifying and dangerously addictive.

Tom moved away again before Harry could gather his bearings and took a step back, smirking smugly at the panting and blushing time traveller. Harry blinked confused and slowly touched his lips, staring at Tom with pure shock written on his face.

"Why did you do that?" he asked shakily.

Tom rolled his eyes and pointed upwards. Harry frowned and looked up, seeing the mistletoe hanging over his head. He looked down again to see Tom strolling away in a very casual manner that he shouldn't be allowed to after doing such a thing to Harry.

Fury bloomed in Harry's chest and he jumped up. In a matter of seconds, he had crossed the room and had Tom pinned against the wall. He snarled angrily at the teasing grin the taller boy gave him.

"Do you think you're being funny?" Harry growled.

Tom smirked and opened his mouth to reply, but Harry didn't give him the opportunity to speak. Instead, he smashed their mouths together once again in a violent and heated kiss. Harry didn't waste time in letting his tongue inside Tom's still open mouth. He felt a pang of pride that he had taken the young dark wizard so off guard that he hadn't even reacted in any way.

All of a sudden, Tom bit Harry's tongue. The younger boy yelped in surprise and jerked back, but before he could get away, Tom grabbed him and pressed their lips back together, taking control of the kiss again. Their tongues danced together for a short while as Tom slid a hand in Harry's hair and pressed the other against the base of his neck. Harry's hands found their way onto Tom's biceps and he gripped him to steady himself as they continued kissing for a long while.

When they finally separated, both were panting heavily. To Harry's slight surprise and pride, Tom's cheeks had turned a bit rosy. He. _He_ had succeeded in making the mighty Heir of Slytherin blush.

"I rarely ever try to be funny, and this wasn't such a moment," Tom said breathless.

"In that case, I guess we should stay very serious," Harry replied before diving in for another kiss.


	23. Merry Christmas

Harry woke the next morning to an empty dorm. This wasn't exactly unusual of course, as Tom had made a habit as of late to wake up very early, have an early breakfast and then move to the library so he wouldn't have to be around Harry.

With a sigh, Harry climbed out of his bed. After last night, he had sort of hoped that Tom would stay around a bit more. He really liked the older teen – even though he knew how stupid it was of him considering what Tom would become – and he had hoped Tom might like him too. He'd been insinuating he did quite a lot lately.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Harry walked out of the dorm and into the common room. The large Christmas tree that had been standing in the middle of the room since the start of the month now had two rather large mountains of presents hidden underneath, but that wasn't what Harry was looking at. No, it was the fact that Tom had dragged two armchairs towards the tree and was currently sitting on one with a very smug expression.

Harry wanted to ask what he was so happy about when something green on the ceiling caught his eyes. He looked up curiously and couldn't stop himself from laughing when he noticed Tom had spelled the entire ceiling full of mistletoe.

"Is that a hint?" Harry asked amused.

"If you want to call it that," Tom shrugged chuckling.  
"Personally I think it's more a very loud shout of the facts."

Harry laughed again and moved towards Tom. He leaned down and brushed his lips against the older teen's before standing up again and giving him a bright smile.

"Merry Christmas, Tom," he said.

Tom smiled back and nodded, watching him as Harry took the seat next to him before his eyes fell on the presents.

"I suppose we should get around to opening these?" he suggested.

Harry chuckled and went first. He had a present from all the Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius and several of his own classmates. The whole group he had gotten presents for in fact, barring Tom and Walburga, though he hadn't expected any from them either anyway.

The twins had gotten him several assorted candies they had invented. All of them with a short explanation what they did. Ron had given him a spyglass, with a small note he might be in need of it what with being in Slytherin. Hermione gave him some books on the history, both magical and muggle of the past ten to twenty years and even one that spoke of the following decade. Ginny had gotten him a broom cleaning kit and Sirius a pair of special glasses that would allow him to see through lies.

Mulciber gave him a ring that was spelled to give anyone touching him with malicious intent an electric shock while Nicolas actually had gone and gotten him a medallion with protective charms on him to keep him from physical harm while playing quidditch. Dolohov and Dimitri had piled together in one gift and gotten him a brand new wizarding chess set and Nott had gotten him a book of muggle literature by Charles Dickens. Avery had gotten him a book on old wizarding families 'to learn more about your background here in the UK', and Michael got him a scarf and gloves spelled with a warming charm. And finally, Megan gave him a duelling book.

To his utter surprise, that still left one more present. Harry frowned in confusion and looked over to Tom in hopes he might know more. The older teen smirked amused and shrugged.

"Don't look at me," he said.  
"I barely get around to buy my school supplies."

"No idea who it could be from?" Harry asked warily.

"I don't make notes on who's getting what for who, Harry," the young Dark Lord drawled.  
"But I highly doubt that it was someone who wants to hurt you. You don't even technically exist yet. Hard to make enemies like that."

"You don't know Voldemort," Harry muttered as he carefully picked the package up.

"I am Voldemort," Tom replied frowning.

Harry made a non-committal noise, indicating he wasn't really listening to Tom anymore. The older teen rolled his eyes and waited patiently while Harry opened the letter attached to the strange package and read through it.

.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _We are well and truly sorry it has taken us this long before we contacted you, but we hope you understand that this is quite the shock for us to hear about your existence. My brother and his wife disappeared many years ago, and we have mourned them for quite some time. To suddenly find out they lived long enough to have a child was unexpected, but wonderful news when it reached us._

 _We are saddened that you or your guardian haven't contacted us sooner, but with everything going on in the main land it is understandable. We hope for a chance to get to know each other in the future. Perhaps you and your guardian would like to spend some time with us this summer?_

 _Both our sons will also be staying with us during the whole duration of August, so if you wish, you could come by for a few weeks then and meet your cousins as well._

 _With love_

 _Your aunt and uncle,_

 _Henry and Arielle Potter_

.

"What does it say?" Tom asked curiously.

Harry blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining this. The letter was still there, and so was the present. Shaking his head in disbelieve, he handed Tom the letter before tearing into the package his family had sent him. He never had family before to do that for him, aside from Sirius, but he wasn't actually family by blood.

"Family, huh?" Tom muttered amused.  
"I knew Charlus Potter from when he went to school."

"Really?" Harry asked curiously.

"We weren't exactly friends or anything, but I've talked to him a bit. He was Head Boy in his time, and Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team," Tom said.  
"I heard of his brother too. Fleamont. He graduated before I started, but I heard he was Captain of the Duelling club as well as Head Boy."

Harry hummed in response. He wanted to ask more about his family. The only stories he knew were what Sirius told him, and that was only a bit. He knew that his grandparents would become very kind and helpful people who loved Sirius as their own, but he had no idea how they had been in their younger years.

"Which one is your grandfather by the way?" Tom asked.  
"Is it Fleamont or Charlus?"

"Fleamont, and my grandmother's name is Euphemia," Harry replied.  
"I never had the chance to get to know them. They died before I was born."

"I suspect Charlus did too? Otherwise you might have ended up with him, right?"

Harry nodded sadly.

"I'm the last Potter."

"Not anymore you're not," Tom pointed out smiling.

. . . . .

After Tom had unpacked all their presents (and kissed Harry breathless again when he saw the time traveller had gifted him a book on defensive magic from the future) they walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. All the remaining students were in good cheer, which only grew when they were invited to sit with the teachers.

Harry and Tom chatted with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students and a young Gryffindor girl that seemed to be all over Tom, clumsily flirting with him as she stared at him with adoring eyes. This ended soon after Harry kissed Tom. He was immediately sorry he did so when he saw the extremely smug expression the other was sporting, as well as the cat calls they got from, embarrassingly, professor Slughorn.

"Young love. Isn't it a beautiful thing, Albus?" Slughorn said smiling.  
"But I don't think you have much to worry about, Harry. Tom never showed much interest in the female population of the school."

"A beautiful girl like Miss Anderson could do much better than me anyway," Tom murmured, giving the young Gryffindor a smile.

"Are you saying I can't?" Harry teased.  
"Would you like me to prove you wrong?"

"I rather advice against it, but go ahead and try, sweetheart."

Harry rolled his eyes and was about to reply when the owls started arriving. He waited patiently for all the letters to drop at their destination, finding he had two letters himself and Tom had received one from each of his friends/followers (Harry still wasn't sure how to call their little group. Miniature Death Eaters just didn't fit anymore as they weren't the psychopathic bunch of serial killers in training he had expected to find).

Curious, Harry opened the first envelope coming from none other than Walburga Black. He dreaded something horrible was inside, maybe even a howler for daring to buy her jewellery when they weren't even friends. When he read the contents, however, he found himself deeply surprised.

.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I must admit I was very surprised to find your present underneath the tree this morning. I never expected to receive anything from you, certainly not with the cold way I have been treating you and your uncle. For this, of course, my deepest apologies. You are family, and I can see my brother is quite smitten with you. I can also see the reason to this and I know that my behaviour has been very wrong._

 _I feel a bit silly now, that I allowed my dislike for your grandfather to cloud my judgement, especially since I never even met the man as he was disowned before my birth. I also feel terrible for not having any gift to present you in return for these wonderful earrings. I absolutely adore them by the way, so thank you again._

 _Alphard was ecstatic with your gift as well and Cygnus hasn't even once taken his eyes out of the storybook you gave him. It's fair to say you have made this family adore you in a very short amount of time and for that, you must be applauded._

 _Alphard and I have talked with mother and father and they are both very curious to meet you and your uncle Sirius and we would all like it very much if you would come stay with us for a little while next summer. You are family after all and I think it's time for us all to act like it._

 _With love,_

 _Your cousins Walburga, Alphard and Cygnus_

.

Harry smiled at the letter and put it to the side, giving only a sideways glance at Tom in acknowledgement as the other teen took the letter from him and read it through, a smug grin appearing on his face. Harry suspected that Tom would later remind him that giving Walburga a present was his idea.

The second one was a thick envelope that came from the Weasleys. They had all sent him a small letter telling him about how their holiday went and all wishing him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Ron also added about the little quidditch games they all played with their relatives and complained about Hermione's studious behaviour. The twins listed their greatest pranks and told him about their older 'cousin' Sexta, who gladly pranked them back. It sounded a lot like they adored her already. Ginny had a few words of her own about this Sexta, who was apparently her new role model. And Harry realized amused she really did sound a lot like an older version of Ginny.

The last one was Hermione's. She started off with telling him how she had already finished her homework and complained about Ron's unwillingness to do his own. She then proceeded in asking if he had done his already and that he should take an example of Tom, who was always on time with his assignments and had top marks on every single one. She eventually finished her letter with telling Harry that Alphard had asked her out to Slughorn's party when they had been on the train. Apparently, she hadn't said yes yet because she was worried Harry would be angry at her, seeing as they had promised to go together.

"Looks like I just lost my date to the party," Harry said chuckling.

"So you aren't going together with Tom then?" professor Slughorn asked surprised.

Harry blushed and shook his head, pointedly avoiding to look at the older teen sitting next to him.

"I was going with my friend Hermione, since neither of us know a lot of people yet."

"What changed?" Tom asked calmly.

"Alphard."

Tom hummed in understanding and refocussed on his food again. Harry watched him, noticing in slight amusement the small smile the teenage Dark Lord was sporting and he wondered if it was because Harry wouldn't be going with someone else.

"Well, that won't do, now would it? You going on your own," Slughorn said cheerfully.  
"You and Tom are a wondrous pair! I'd be disappointed if you went with anyone else."

"On the contrary, professor," Tom said, smirking viciously at Harry.  
"I think this is the perfect opportunity for Harry to show he can find someone better than me."

"In that case I'll ask July Andrews," Harry said immediately, recalling the nice Hufflepuff girl he'd met during Potions.

"Andrews went back home with her family. There's little chance she'll be back in time for the party," Tom told him stiffly.

"I'm still free," a sixth year Hufflepuff, whom Harry thought was called Taylor, purred.

"Or if you prefer blokes," the girl next to her spoke up, elbowing Taylor in her side.  
"D'you know John Abbott from our year? I happen to know he's interested in you."

Harry could see McKinnon and his gang bristle at the mere thought on the other side of the table and he smirked. He wasn't exactly planning on going with either option of course, but Tom had given him a challenge and he'd be dammed if he wouldn't rise to it. So he leaned on the table and smiled flirtatiously at the girl who'd offered herself.

"I can go both ways," he told her easily.

. . . . .

Once Harry and Tom were back in their common room, the green eyed teen found himself pinned to a wall faster than he could react. Tom was staring down at him with narrowed, dark eyes and an unhappy line on his mouth. Harry blinked up at him innocently.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You are not going to that party with Destiny Taylor!" Tom hissed.

"I suppose I could go with Abbott if you're really that much against it," Harry shrugged.  
"I heard he and his family are staying in their apartment in Hogsmeade, so he doesn't have to come from far."

Tom growled in frustration and pushed away from Harry, dragging his hands through his hair as he glared over Harry's shoulder at the wall. Harry smirked.

"What's wrong Tom? Jealous?" he teased.

Tom glared at him for a moment and turned away. He walked over to the closest seat and gracefully plopped down (how the hell did one gracefully plop down anyway? Harry was sure only Tom was able to pull that off). He looked back towards Harry, something between anger and amusement shining in his dark eyes.

"Says the one who snogged me in public because a thirteen year old with a crush was sitting a bit too close by," he replied.

That certainly shut Harry up and he glared at Tom, who was back to grinning smugly at him.

"You were the one suggesting I look for someone else," Harry pointed out dryly.

"And I changed my mind," Tom shot back.  
"You're going with me."

Harry chuckled and walked over to where Tom was sitting. He leaned over the seat in the same way as Tom had done the night before, his hands firmly planted on the arm rests and his face inches away from Tom's.

"Oh am I?" he asked teasingly.  
"And how are you so sure of that?"

Tom raised a brow, his lips twitching in amusement as he leaned forward a bit until their noses almost touched and their breaths mingled.

"As your boyfriend it's my right to accompany you," he replied.

"My boyfriend now are we?" Harry asked, leaning a bit away and frowning as though he wasn't sure he agreed with Tom's words.  
"That's a bit clingy of you, Tom. I'm not entirely sure if we're there just yet."

Suddenly, Tom's hands grasped Harry's biceps and the green eyed wizard was pulled on Tom's lap. One hand kept a strong hold on his arm , while the other came to rest on the small of Harry's back and pulled him a bit closer. Harry's eyes had gone wide in shock and Tom smirked.

"I'll cling as hard as I like," he said, letting his hand travel upwards Harry's arm with feathery touches and rest on his shoulder.  
"Now that I finally have you, and believe me, I've been looking forward to that for a while now, I won't let you go again."

The hand on Harry's shoulder travelled further to the back of his neck and started pulling his face down as Tom's neck craned up. The one near his arse gave an insistent push as well, leaving Harry and Tom once again face to face, their noses nearly brushing.

"Then you better hold me close, because I tend to get lost a lot," Harry whispered.

"I'm planning to," Tom whispered back before he pressed forward and moulded their mouths together in a passionate kiss.


	24. Happy Birthday

On December 31, Harry woke up extra early. Like he had hoped, he was up before Tom was and he quickly made work of getting ready. When he was showered and dressed, Harry went down to the common room and sat down on the armchair, waiting tensely for Tom to arrive. The Christmas tree was still standing tall and green in the middle of the room and was once again hiding a large stack of presents. Birthday presents this time.

If he was completely honest with himself, Harry had to admit he was terrified of what Tom would think of his gift. After having to think so long and hard on the Christmas present, Harry had given up on finding something for his birthday as well, so he decided to give something else that wasn't of the materialistic sort. Tom cared little for such frivolities anyway.

Don't get Harry wrong, he wasn't particularly afraid that Tom would refuse his offer, but more that he'd be too excited. His proposition put him in an extremely fragile position after all, and there was a huge possibility that Tom would take advantage of this and take it too far without Harry's consent. This was something that would decide the entire future of their relationship and even if there would be a relationship to speak of. Everything depended on how much Harry trusted Tom and whether or not Tom would break this trust.

. . . . .

Tom woke with a groan and rolled out of bed. He'd been working on information on the Chamber till late last night while trying to make sure not to wake Harry. He'd been tempted to ask questions a few times, his talk with those Weasley twins – the real ones, Hermione Granger was no Weasley after all, and he still couldn't understand how anyone would possibly believe she was – had made it painfully obvious their little group _knew_ things. Then again, they were against it too, so better not letting Harry know he was planning to open the Chamber lest the time traveller would think Tom couldn't be saved anymore. He couldn't of course, or more accurately, he didn't want to.

Shaking his head away from those thoughts, Tom walked over to the bathroom, glancing only for a short moment at Harry's empty bed. It was unusual for the younger teen to get up before him, but Tom had overslept – to his own annoyance. What if Harry decided to turn against him? Or what if something important happened when he was asleep? If he could, he'd never fall asleep.

At last, Tom walked down to the common room, raising a brow at Harry's pale complexion and nervous eyes. Deciding to ignore it for the time being, he walked over to the chair across from Harry and grabbed one of the letters that were stacked on the coffee table next to him.

Every single one of his friends had sent him a birthday card, even Abraxas Malfoy. He hadn't spoken to the older boy since he'd graduated last summer, but in his letter, the Malfoy Heir did invite him to the annual Midsummer Dance his family held. All the most important members of their society were usually invited and it was the perfect time to make grand announcements. Tom loved those parties because he could learn so much about the people present and make new connections.

The mindless 'Happy Birthday's' and other well wishes were of very little interest to him, and he skimmed through them quickly, doing the very same with all the gifts. Not one was noteworthy, just useless little trinkets and silly books he either already read or wasn't interested in. Curious, and more than a little disappointed, he noticed Harry's present wasn't among them.

"No present from you?" he asked, pushing his lower lip out in an exaggerated pout.

"Not one I could gift-wrap," Harry chuckled nervously.

Tom raised a single brow and waited for Harry to continue.

"I've decided to give you something I think you might want," Harry muttered.  
"It's asking a lot of trust on both sides, and I know it's really soon for something of this calibre, I mean, we only know each other for three months for Merlin's sake! We only started da- doing things a week ago, so maybe it's stupid of me to even suggest this-…"

"If you don't tell me what it is soon, I'll start making assumptions," Tom drawled lazily, but his eyes were sharp and focused.

"… Right," Harry sighed.  
"I'm giving you five answers."

Tom tensed. He really hadn't expected something like this. He stared at Harry, trying to see what the younger teen was up to, but when he couldn't find anything besides honest nervousness and even slight mortification hidden behind burning red cheeks, he gave up.

"Answers to what?" he asked.

"To any questions you want to ask."

This of course, had Tom's undivided attention. He could ask Harry anything. About the future, _his_ future. The connection he and Harry shared, because that wasn't just attraction. Tom didn't do attraction, not like this anyway.

"Anything?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, anything," Harry agreed slowly.  
"No lies, no half arsed answers, no changing of subjects, I'll answer any question you want."

Harry was slightly shaking, even while he said that. His hands, to stop them from trembling like the rest of his body, were clasping the arm rests of the chair tight enough to turn his knuckles white. His jaw was tense as well, and he was looking slightly over Tom's shoulder as if he was afraid to look at him fully. The time traveller was absolutely terrified of his own proposal blowing up in his face.

Tom knew that he should reassure Harry in some way. If he'd promise not to break Harry's trust, or just thanked him and told him he didn't have questions – a blatant lie of course, Tom was thrumming with questions he was dying to ask – Harry's trust in him would only grow. Harry would be so grateful, he'd never even dare to question Tom, and their relationship would be one so strong it would take a great betrayal on Tom's side to crack it again.

He knew all this, but at the moment, Tom could care less. Manipulation was something he'd gladly use on anyone except Harry. The other teen was drawn to him just as much as he was drawn to Harry. He'd still be coming back, even if Tom would try to kill him, just like Tom would always search him out no matter what. There was no need for gentleness at this point. Even better – Tom's grin was absolutely predatory, making Harry swallow nervously and curse his own stupidity – Tom could ask things just because he _knew_ Harry didn't want to answer them.

"First question," Tom spoke up, enjoying the jolt in Harry's posture.  
"Are you still a virgin?"

Everything stilled. Harry tensed up, green eyes snapping over to Tom and widening when he saw he older teen wasn't joking at all. His mouth fell open and he gaped at Tom for several minutes, unable to gather his senses and give an intelligible reply.

"What?" he squeaked.

"Are. You. A. Virgin?" Tom asked again, patiently.

"What kind of bloody question is that?" Harry asked bewildered.  
"And why do you want to know something like that anyway?"

"Because you sounded a lot like you offering _that_!" the older teen chuckled.  
"But no changing subjects, remember? You promised."

"Yes, I am, what does it matter?" Harry grumbled.

"I never promised any answers, darling," Tom teased.

Harry blushed a delicious shade of red at that, making Tom want to pounce him. Really, the feeling was extremely annoying. Tom had never had those urges before, so basic and animalistic that Tom often had to remind himself he was a rational being and just leaping on Harry and claiming him in front of the entire school – no matter how incredibly tempting that sounded – wouldn't do him any good at all. He wasn't stupid enough to make enemies of a group of people who had knowledge about the future. They were likely more dangerous than that old coot professor Dumbledore.

. . . . .

After breakfast, Harry had escaped from Tom and hid himself in Sirius' office for the rest of the day, mortified that Tom would ask more of those kind of questions. He hoped that if he stayed away long enough, Tom would miraculously forget Harry's proposal and start acting more like his normal self again. This was just too scary for even Harry's Gryffindor pride.

"I'm not saying you should be with Tom or anything, but I doubt hiding is going to solve anything," Sirius pointed out during the afternoon.  
"Why don't you tell me how last week, you were snogging the kid at breakfast and now you can't be around him anymore?"

"It's nothing, really," Harry assured nervously.

He really didn't want to explain to Sirius that Harry had offered five answers to any question and that Tom seemed set on using them for the most embarrassing ones he could imagine. Sirius hummed in thought and watched Harry with knowing eyes, but he didn't press the issue any longer.

"Well, the train should arrive soon, so why don't you go greet your friends?" he suggested.

Harry sighed and nodded.

"I think I will," he agreed.

. . . . .

Harry grinned widely as the train came to a slow stop in Hogsmeade Station. He'd been standing on the platform for short to fifteen minutes and he was freezing! Even with the heating charms cast on his cloak. There weren't many people who came back this early, so he easily spotted the flock of redheads easily.

"Harry!" Ron called out cheerfully.

Harry grinned widely and waved the group over. Though of them all, only he and Hermione were invited for Slughorn's party the next day, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George had come back a week early as well. Harry was honestly grateful they had. Not that he didn't get along with the people around here, maybe he got on with them a bit too well, but he still felt more comfortable with people of his own time period.

"How was your holiday?" he asked as he hugged Ginny and Hermione.

"It was bloody amazing!" Ron replied grinning.  
"It was almost like being home again! Septimus and Octavian live in a bigger house than the Burrow, but it's just as cosy and noisy and their older brothers are amazing!"

"Sexta even superglued Fred to the toilet seat after I dyed her hair green," George added gleefully.

"I'm sorry I missed that," Harry chuckled.

"You bet!" George laughed, dodging a playful hit from his twin.

"Harry!"

The group looked up to find Alphard and his siblings approaching, followed by Megan and Michael. Hermione started blushing right away as she saw the dark haired boy walking over and the twins both grinned, sharing a knowing look with Harry.

"Hello, Alphard," Hermione greeted with a smile.

"Hermione, how are you!" the young Black replied with a wide grin.

"I'm doing wonderful! What about you?"

Harry tuned out the conversation and turned towards Walburga with a pleasant smile. Tom had taught him a bit of proper pureblood etiquette, and after asking more of the Black customs, so had Sirius. So, as a true gentleman, Harry gently grasped his Captain's hand and pressed a kiss on the back.

"Glad to see you again, cousin Walburga. I hope you had a great time away."

Ron's eyes nearly bulged out at the display, and the rest of the Weasleys seemed all nearly just as shocked. The Slytherins on the other side all smiled approvingly.

"It was, thank you cousin Harry. I hope your time here was just as pleasant," the young woman replied.

"Definitely."

"Thanks again for the present, I'll be wearing them to the party tomorrow night."

"I'm glad to hear you like them. I hope Cygnus liked his book just as much?"

As he spoke, Harry turned to the thirteen year old. The boy grinned widely and shot forward, wrapping his arms around Harry with a happy squeal.

"I think he liked it mate," Alphard laughed.

"I love it!" Cygnus exclaimed.

. . . . .

Their group made their way over to the Great Hall shortly after meeting up as it was almost time for dinner. They were joined by Mulciber. Avery had already let them know he wouldn't make the party and the Lestranges were spending quality time together in one of their country homes and wouldn't be back for another week either.

"Tom! How was your holiday?" Alphard asked as they all, including the Weasleys, sat down at the Slytherin table.

"Lonely since Harry started hiding again today," the Slytherin Heir replied casually.

Harry blushed and ducked his head in guilt as he sat down next to the older teen and laid his hand on Tom's leg. As Tom looked up at him questioningly, Harry smiled apologetically.

"I got freaked a bit, I'm really sorry," he spoke softly.  
"It's your birthday and at least for today, I should be able to put up with your crap."

"I'll ignore the insult because you can bat your eyes so prettily," Tom replied smirking.

Harry laughed a bit and leaned in, pecking the other on the cheek. Tom saw what he was about to do and quickly turned his head right that the kiss missed its mark and landed full on his lips instead. Harry rolled his eyes a bit before closing them, allowing Tom to press harder and deepen the kiss.

As they separated again, they saw everyone at their table staring at them. Megan, Alphard and Hermione looked very smug, while most of the others seemed surprised. Walburga even had a very devious glint in her eyes as she grinned widely, making Harry not want to know what she was thinking. Ginny and Ron both seemed to have gone completely pale, but that too was to be expected, Harry mused.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Ron yelled.

"Does it bother you that I kiss my boyfriend in public, Ronald?" Tom asked him innocently.  
"I can promise you we well be more censored from now on. Don't worry, we keep most of our… affections for behind closed doors."

Harry blushed in embarrassment and glared at a very smug looking Tom. He had hoped to ease his friends into the idea of him and Tom dating, but it seemed that Tom's obsession in making Harry's life more difficult as it already was continued even now. With a deep sigh, Harry closed his eyes and steeled himself for the chaos that was undoubtedly to come after this.


	25. New Year's Party

Harry followed obediently as Ron dragged him away from the Great Hall, followed by the other Weasleys and Hermione. The Slytherins were all busy catching up with each other anyway, after they had exhausted all their questions and congratulations for Tom and Harry.

He knew what was about to come of course, and honestly, he couldn't really blame them either. They'd all reacted well with the others around, but he expected at least one lecture about how stupid and dangerous it was to date the enemy. Not that Harry really considered Tom an enemy anymore at this point. The older teen was smart and charming and he could do just as much good than he did bad, maybe even more if he set his mind to it.

At last, they arrived at the Caretaker's office and the twins took the lead. They threw open the door with a loud bang as it hit the wall and strode in, followed by a fuming Ginny and Ron holding onto Harry, dragging him inside forcefully while Hermione strolled behind them with a deep frown etched onto her face. Sirius looked up from the paper he had been reading which had a large headline about a murdered couple in Diagon Alley.

"What's happening? Something attacking us?" the adult male asked, jumping up from his seat warily.

"Harry's dating Riddle!" Ron exclaimed.

Sirius raised an amused eyebrow and relaxed a bit.

"I know," he replied chuckling.  
"They've been connected by the lips since Christmas."

"That must have been one hell of a Christmas present," Fred snorted.

The youngest two Weasleys didn't see the joke in the whole thing and glared at Harry.

"How could you do this, Harry?" Ginny asked softly.  
"After everything he's done to all of us, to you!"

" _He_ didn't do anything. That was all Voldemort."

"He _is_ Voldemort!" Ron exclaimed angry, wincing slightly as he said the name.

"Not the same one," Harry gritted out.  
"Tom never opened the Chamber, he never killed my parents and he never killed Cedric. I can prevent that from happening!"

"How can you be so sure?" George asked quietly.

Harry sighed and carded his hands through his hair. He looked at his friends, all looking at him expectantly. Ginny and Ron were glaring, and Fred and George didn't look too happy with him either.

"I don't," he conceded reluctantly.  
"But everyone deserves a second chance."

"Not _him_!" Ginny hissed furiously.

"Yes him! That's what we came to do!"

"Harry's right," Hermione cut in.  
"We came to stop Riddle. If that can be done peacefully, all the better."

"It's Riddle! We can't trust him not to cut Harry into pieces and not send us his head with a nice postcard," Ron growled.

"I can take care of myself!" Harry shouted aggravated.  
"I'm your friend! Least you can do is trust me, even if you can't trust Tom."

The twins deflated visibly, and Hermione smiled. The brunette walked up to him and hugged Harry tight.

"Of course we trust you, Harry!" she said as she let go of him again.  
"I'm really happy for you and Tom, just, be careful, alright?"

"I am, don't worry."

. . . . .

"You're a right bastard, you know that?" Harry hissed the second he spotted Tom lounging in the common room.

Several of the others sitting around tensed and turned their heads towards Tom as they held their breath, waiting for the reaction of their Lord.

"That's not very nice, is it?" Tom asked calmly.  
"Certainly no way to talk to your boyfriend."

"That's just the point! You know how my friends are! I wanted to ease them into it, not throw it in their faces!"

"Now what would they have as reason not to let me date you?" Tom asked, eyes glinting as he smirked at Harry.

The green eyed time traveller tensed. They both knew perfectly well the reasons they didn't like the idea of Tom and Harry dating, but that wasn't something Harry could say out loud of course. The others probably thought the Weasleys didn't like it because Tom was Slytherin. They all already thought especially Ginny and Ron hated Slytherin, with the exception of Harry.

"Because they're a bloody overprotective lot, and their parents pretty much raised me! I'm their _brother_ , Tom. And worrying is what family does."

"How cute! Does Ickle Harrykins need his siblings to coddle him some more?" Nicolas teased chuckling.

Harry rolled his eyes and glared at the older teen.

"I'm going to bed," he growled annoyed.

He stomped off towards the dorms, but Tom's voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Don't I get a goodnight's kiss, darling?" the young Dark Lord called out teasingly.

"Hell no! You bloody pissed me off with that stunt Riddle!"

. . . . .

When Harry woke up the next morning, he wasn't alone in his bed. Tensing at the heat radiating from right next to him, he found a bare chested Tom sitting there, comfortably under _his_ covers reading a book. He sat up immediately and blushed as he realized he too, was only sleeping in his boxers, like he often did.

"What the hell are you doing, Tom?" he hissed quietly, glancing around the room and finding that most of the others were already up and gone.

"When I'm bored, I tend to be generous to the rumour mill," the older teen replied shrugging.

"Damnit, Tom! You're making me regret dating you!" Harry groaned, dropping back down on his pillow.

"Too late to back down now, sweetheart!" Tom told him cheerfully.

The Slytherin Heir got up out of bed and walked over to his own to grab his clothes.

"I told you before, I'll cling to you as hard as I can. You even agreed to that," he said.  
"If you want to get rid of me now, you'll have to kill me, and we both know you'll try avoiding that as long as possible."

Harry didn't reply and just glared at the handsome teen as he too got up. Tom looked over at him and grinned teasingly.

"I'm taking a shower, care to join me?" he asked.  
"No? Pity. See you at breakfast then, darling."

Harry shook his head and chuckled a bit. No matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn't stay angry at Tom for very long. The other was everything Voldemort was not, and that alone warranted that Harry wanted him close to him. If he could help it, Tom would never have to suffer any kind of tragedy in his entire further life.

. . . . .

Time for the party came closer and closer until evening finally fell. The Slytherins were all in the common room, having put on their best dress robes for the occasion.

"Ready to go, 'Burga?" Nicolas called out.

The quidditch captain gave the burly 6th year a cold stare before striding over. Her dark green dress cascading down her hips and turning her into a beautiful forest nymph instead of a terrifying banshee. She was wearing the earrings Harry had bought her and a large golden and emerald necklace hung heavily around her neck.

"Show some respect, Nicolas. I can still go with someone else," the girl threatened.

It was true of course. The Blacks were all well known for their dark beauty and Walburga would have easily found a new date by shouting she was single in the halls. Even now, several of the boys in the room were eyeing her lustfully. The other members of Tom's gang didn't really pay much attention to the duo though and just talked among each other a bit more.

"So I guess that means you're going with Tom then, huh?" Avery asked grinning.

"Guess so," Harry replied with a smile.  
"And who're you going with?"

"Olive Hornby from Ravenclaw."

Harry remembered that name from his own time of course. It was the girl that bullied Myrtle the day she died, and she was part of the reason why Octavian would take his own life.

"I'm going with Sandberg," Michael piped up, grinning widely.  
"She usually never goes on dates because her father doesn't allow it, but he made an exception for this. Says it's a perfect opportunity. My parents are thinking about setting up a contract between us anyway, so it's good I get to know her better."

"Don't you want to be with someone you actually like?" Harry asked frowning.

"Sure. But as long as the contract isn't there yet I can fool around as much as I like," Michael shrugged.  
"Besides, Sandberg is pretty hot. I wouldn't mind waking up next to her in the mornings."

Harry scowled a bit at that, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Better not get in between old family habits after all.

"And who're you taking, Mulciber?" Avery called out.

"I asked Lucretia, but she shot me down," the tall 6th year started.

"Big shocker there," Dolohov snorted.

"-So I asked Tate, from Hufflepuff," Mulciber continued with a glare at the 4th year.

"And we know Alphard goes with Weasley," Nott said smirking.  
"So all we need to know is who's taking Megan."

"You won't know then," the girl told the younger boy with a grin.  
"I'm picking him up right now. See you boys at the party!"

Harry laughed at the disgruntled looks of the 4th and 3rd years in their gang and turned towards Tom.

"Shouldn't we get going too?" he asked.

"Of course. Let's all go then," Tom agreed.

. . . . .

The party was as boring as it could be. Slughorn's guests, aside from some elite students, existed from high society ex-students and successful business owners and Ministry officials. The sight of a certain man, who looked to be a younger version of Lucius Malfoy, or an older version of Draco, had Harry tense up and narrow his eyes. Tom had laughed at him for it, before greeting the man.

"Abraxas! It's been too long," Tom said smiling.

"Tom, good to see you," the blonde replied.

He was standing next to Ravina Lestrange, whom Harry soon learned was Malfoy's fiancée. They wished Tom a belated Happy Birthday and Malfoy went on telling them about his job at the ministry. Harry quickly lost interest there.

"Abraxas was a classmate of Charlus," Tom told Harry, stopping the young wizard's attention from wandering.

"Really? So you know my cousin?" Harry asked interested.

"I do, though I can't say we were friends," the Malfoy spoke stiffly.  
"Potter and I had a hard time agreeing about anything. Still do by the way."

"Doesn't Charlus work at the ministry as well?" Tom asked curiously.  
"I know his father, Henry Potter, is very influential in the Wizangammot."

Harry once again lost interest in Malfoy's reply and decided to just look around himself. He saw Hermione stand next to Alphard a little ways off, with Walburga and Nicolas talking to them. Avery and Hornby were dancing, and so were Michael and Sandberg.

His eyes fell on two red heads in the back of the room. He scowled. What were the twins doing here? He was pretty sure they weren't invited. One quick glance back towards Tom showed he was too deep in conversation with Malfoy and an elderly lady. Smirking, he snuck away from the group and approached the red haired party crashers.

"How did you even get in here?" he asked as he walked up to the duo of trouble makers.

"Harry!" Fred greeted cheerfully.

"Bit of a dull party, isn't it?" George commented lightly.

"Figured we'd come check it out after Ron started bragging about going," Fred spoke.

"Bit of a let-down, really. But don't worry, we know how to cure that!"

Harry frowned in confusion.

"Ron's here?" he asked surprised.  
"With who? Why didn't he say so?"

"Probably because when he told us, Gin yelled at him for being a bloody hypocrite," Fred said shrugging.  
"I mean, being angry at you for dating Riddle and then smooching on Yaxley…"

"He's here with Megan?!"

"There you are!"

Harry jumped when he felt a hand fall heavily on his shoulder and he turned his head to find Tom smiling at him. The twins grew tense immediately and glared hatefully at Tom, but the young Dark Lord didn't seem fazed by them.

"Sneaking away like that… I think you might have insulted Malfoy with that," Tom told Harry.

"Yeah, well, if he's anything like his grandson, I'm not sorry," the green eyed teen snorted.

"Megalomania does run in the family," young Voldemort mused.  
"How about a dance, Love?"

"I can't-…"

"I'll lead."

Before Harry could refuse anymore, he was pulled away from his friends and onto the dancefloor. Tom pressed their bodies close to each other and started moving them around at a fast pace that Harry barely could follow. He was reminded of his mortification during the Yule Ball last year, or in 1994, if he wanted to think chronologically correct.

"They still hate me," Tom muttered, nodding his head towards the Weasley twins.

"You tried to kill their little sister in my time," Harry mumbled.  
"They don't really think there's a difference between that you and this one."

Tom hummed and twirled Harry, making the time traveller stumble a bit before catching him again.

"I might have furthered that mind-set a while ago," he admitted smirking.

Harry's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but widened again as he was dipped.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Trying to get information from them."

Harry rolled his eyes. Of course Tom would have done something to piss them off even more. He knew how useless it was to play nice, so he probably was as blunt as he was to Harry, maybe even more since he didn't want to get in their pants… at least Harry hoped he didn't. He shook his head off the thoughts and as they continued dancing, his eyes fell on Megan and Ron standing near the back, talking animatedly together.

"Megan's mystery date is Ron, by the way," Harry told his dance partner.

"I know," Tom laughed.  
"You hadn't noticed how she always seems to zone onto him whenever we have class with the Lions? She actually smiles with Red around… it's a bit creepy if you ask me…"

"I always thought that was because you told her to," Harry said surprised.

"At first, yes. But I never told her to flirt with him," Tom replied shrugging.  
"She's always been very picky with her guys. Never shown any interest. I guess your friend actually _does_ have some good qualities if he can get past that cold mask of her."

Harry laughed and shook his head fondly. Ron always had a gift of bringing out the best and worse in people. He was glad he was at least trying to get along better with the Slytherins now. Maybe his interest in the Slytherin Ice Queen would bring them all closer together.

The song ended and Tom and Harry stopped dancing. For a short moment, they just stood in the middle of the room, looking at each other and smiling, but an enthusiastic one-man applause had them look up, finding Slughorn red-faced and grinning at the side of the dance floor.

"Wonderful! Beautiful!" the pompous teacher exclaimed loudly.  
"You two are such a marvellous couple, so beautiful… ah! How wonderful it is to be young and in love!"

The man walked up to them and threw and arm over each of their shoulders. Harry winced at the booming laughter in his ear and pulled up his nose as the scent of alcohol reached him.

"How I wish I had someone to love…" their Head of House said, suddenly looking on the verge of tears.  
"What I wouldn't give for finding someone to hold close and- Pumkin pie! They are delicious! Have you tried them yet?"

Several of the people around snickered as Slughorn shoved Harry and Tom to get to the food table. Tom scowled, glaring at the man's back as he rubbed his arm, a petulant pout on his lips. Harry rolled his eyes and looked around. He saw the twins standing next to the punch bowl, laughing and whispering. As one of them noticed Harry staring at them, he grinned mischievously and waved.

Harry groaned and rubbed his face.

"What was that all about?" Tom asked angrily.  
"Slughorn never acts like that! He never even bloody drinks more than two glasses!"

"He didn't drink more," Harry muttered, earning a weird look from his boyfriend.

"What do you know that I don't?" Tom asked through gritted teeth.

The question made Harry smirk. Tom hated not knowing, and the fact that Harry had the upper hand for once was clearly not sitting right with the older teen. He had half a mind to gloat, but decided against it for his own health's sake.

"The twins spiked the punch," he told Tom.


	26. Library Date

When Harry walked into the library a week and a half after the start of the new year, he was in a great mood. His friends had finally gotten used to the idea of him and Tom dating, and the Slytherins all accepted the Weasleys as part of the gang, mostly. Ron and Megan spent a lot of time together, talking mostly, or just staring at each other and smiling, and Alphard and Hermione were very close to actually dating too. Fred and George recently had a prank war with Mulciber and Nicolas, but when Ravina Lestrange had been caught in the middle of it, things had gotten out of hand and now all five of them had detention for the rest of the month.

Only Ginny seemed still against it all, and she and Dolohov, Nott and Dimitri kept their rivalry strong. It upset Harry somewhat of course. Ginny was like a little sister to him, but with how great things had been going between him and Tom recently, he just couldn't make himself worry about her too much.

"Harry!"

The green eyed teen looked up and smiled as he saw July Andrews waving him over. Like promised, he was here to help her with DADA. She was a really nice girl, and Harry hoped he and her could become friends. In another time, he might even be attracted to her, but he already had Tom.

"Hey, July!" he greeted cheerfully, sitting down next to the blushing girl.  
"Are you ready to study some Defence?"

"Ready when you are," the girl replied smiling.

Harry grinned at her and grabbed his books, opening them as he laid them out before them. July shifted nervously, but didn't say anything as Harry started explaining the theory of things. For half an hour, they continued studying, July asking questions and hanging on to every word that passed the green eyed time traveller's lips.

"So! How was your Christmas vacation?" July suddenly asked in the middle of Harry's explanation on how to recognize a vampire.

"Uhm… Great! How was yours?" the boy answered a bit uncertainly.

"It was okay, a bit lonely though," the girl pouted.  
"My parents were off working most of the time, and with the war…"

"That must've been hard on you."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad! I got to see my old friends and my family," July replied quickly.  
"But I'm more interesting in hearing about professor Slughorn's party. Who did you go with?"

"Originally, I was planning on going with Hermione," Harry told her smiling.  
"Just as friends of course. But she eventually cancelled so she could go with Alphard."

"Don't tell me you went alone!" the girl exclaimed scandalized.  
"You know you could have asked me, right? I wouldn't have minded coming back earlier."

"Don't worry!" Harry laughed.  
"I already had a better solution, so no reason to bother you."

July's flirty smile fell at the words and a look of hurt crossed her delicate features. Harry's own grin dropped as well when he realized what he had said, his eyes widening in horror.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaimed rapidly.  
"I mean, you're a great girl and a friend! I would have asked you immediately if it wasn't for Tom!"

This had the girl frowning in confusion.

"What about Riddle?" she asked suspiciously.

Harry started blushing furiously and looked away. For a few more moments, July just regarded Harry before understanding crossed her mind. She gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth as she did.

"You and him. Are you… you know…?" she muttered.

"We're dating," Harry told her, smiling again.  
"And it's amazing, you know? I feel like we really understand each other."

July squealed and flung Harry around his neck, congratulating him and exclaiming just how happy she was for him. Harry laughed and hugged her back gladly. It was nice to get along with other people than the Slytherins and the Weasleys – Hermione counted as a Weasley in his mind already. People like July brought a bit of normalcy to his life.

"You probably think I'm such an idiot right now," July muttered shamefully in his ear.

Harry frowned and let go of July.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

The girl blinked a few times. As neither of them said anything for a short while, July started chuckling amused.

"You mean you didn't even realize?" she asked incredulous.  
"Scratch that, you're the idiot! Now I'm starting to wonder where I got the idea that you wanted to do more than just studying."

It was Harry's turn to be surprised. He tensed, staring at July with wide eyes.

"… What? You-you mean you thought-…"

"You really looked like you liked me back at potions," July pointed out shrugging.  
"And you're smart and very good-looking, you can't blame a girl for hoping. Too bad Riddle got you first."

Harry blushed and looked away shyly as the girl laughed joyously.

"I'm really sorry for stringing you along, July," Harry muttered ashamed.  
"You're a great girl and you deserve better. I still hope we can be friends."

"Gladly, even," July replied smiling before she sighed and chuckled.  
"The two most interesting and handsome boys from our year, and they're dating each other. I think most of the girls in my dorm will be heartbroken."

. . . . .

Tom watched from behind the shelves at the other side of the library as that girl, that Hufflepuff mudblood tramp, hugged _his_ Harry. They were talking and laughing so freely together, as if Harry wasn't taken. Did his little time traveller already forget who he belonged to?

Something dark curled in his chest at the closeness the two held and how comfortable Harry was letting her sit so near. He still remembered the discomfort Harry had showed at first merely being in the same room as he. Harry had hated him, with a passion even. That darkness inside him grew at the that Harry might still hate him and only dated him to stop him from doing the 'wrong thing' and he was falling for the trick. Tom sneered in disgust as July touched Harry's hand as she laughed about something he had said, and the green eyed boy blushed. Tom didn't need to see any more.

Angry, he swept out of the library and right towards the girls bathroom. So what if Harry didn't really care for him? So what if his boyfriend only used him? That only gave him the right to use him back in his mind. Harry agreed to be his, and he was going to make sure the young time traveller was going to keep that promise, even if he had to use force.

Because of his anger, Tom hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, and suddenly he found himself colliding with another, shorter body. The girl, it was a girl Tom noted vaguely, shouted in shock as she fell backwards on the ground. Tom blinked in surprise, looking down to find none other than Ginny Weasley sitting on the floor.

"Excuse me, I was caught up in my mind," he apologized automatically, holding out a hand.

The youngest Weasley cretin glared hatefully at him and stood back up without accepting his help. She let a critical eye slide over the handsome Slytherin Heir before huffing and flinging her long, bright red hair over her shoulder.

"I don't need your help, Riddle," she hissed venomously.

Tom raised a brow and dropped his hand again, watching the girl curiously.

"You really do hate me, don't you?" he noted calmly.

He'd known it since the beginning of course. The way Ginny looked at him and talk around him proved she might have hated him more than Harry did even in the very beginning. Was that really because his diary chose to possess her? Or was there something else behind it?

"No shit Sherlock!"

"Is that how they'll say it in the future?" Tom asked curiously.  
"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books certainly are interesting, I agree…"

"What the hell are you talking about now?" the Weasley girl growled annoyed, glaring at Tom.

"Sherlock Holmes of course!" Tom said smiling.  
"A very fine example of good muggle literature."

The Weasley girl rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned away, most likely ready to stomp off angrily, but Tom stopped her by grabbing her left upper arm.

"Why exactly do you hate me?" he asked curiously.  
"I understand that you have gone through quite the trauma because of a dark object that supposedly belonged to me-"

 _"_ _Supposedly?!"_ the girl screeched, whipping around to glare at Tom with burning eyes.  
"There was nothing _supposedly_ about the bloody book! It had _your_ name on it, it introduced itself as _you_ , and the _monster_ that stepped out of it had _your face_! That thing tried to kill me! _You_ tried to kill me!"

"I did no such thing, as I am not yet in the possession of such an object," Tom reminded her coolly.

Weasley just huffed and looked the other way, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the far wall. Tom wanted to roll his eyes at her childish actions, but refused to let her now she was getting to him. This was all so frustrating. All his hard work to win the trust of his school peers, and then these kids from the future showed up with their distrust and hate towards him, knowing all his plans before he even made them. He hated this, and he would do everything to get rid of the disadvantage.

"You will," Weasley muttered bitterly.  
"You'll use Harry like a tool and throw him away."

"Because that was what I did to you?" Tom asked curiously.

Weasley tensed up. Her eyes snapped back towards him and narrowed dangerously.

"Because that's what you do to everyone," she hissed.

So he had used her and then left her to die, like he suspected. The way she looked at him now, there was something there, a deep hurt. The face of betrayal.

"Then what makes Harry so special?" he asked, repressing a smirk.

Weasley blinked confused.

"What?" she asked.

"If I use everyone around me, why so worried about Harry, who knows what I am, and not anyone else that I hold close to me?" Tom asked, feigning confusion.  
"The Lestranges, Dolohov, Mulciber, Nott, the Blacks, Michael, Megan, Avery,… I use them too, don't I?"

"But they're-"

"Not your friends? Or not in love with me?" Tom asked, finally allowing himself to smirk.

Weasley paled and took a step back. Tom could see fear flashing in her brown eyes before she closed all emotion off and stared at him with a blank expression.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Tom let out a harsh laugh and stepped closer to her, making the Weasley girl take a step back away. Tom, not in the mood for any games, just grabbed the girl's arm and turned her around, slamming her against the nearest wall and looming over her. He was full out grinning now, and again, Weasley's eyes widened in fear.

"You were in love with me, weren't you?" he purred.

The young Weasley girl gasped in horror. With a sudden strength, she pushed Tom away before swinging her hand and slapping the handsome young Slytherin on the cheek. Tom gingerly touched the struck cheek and winced. That would definitely bruise. As he looked back up, he found Weasley striding away, red faced and scowling angrily.

"Thank you for confirming my suspicions, Ginny," he called after her.

The girl faltered, but didn't stop walking. Tom chuckled softly as he continued rubbing his struck cheek. There was only one thing the girl had been wrong about. _He_ wasn't the one using _Harry_ , it was the other way around. And Harry would pay for that soon.


	27. The Chamber of Secrets

The day started out well enough. Harry had been talking with Alphard over breakfast. The dark haired boy was explaining his plans on taking Hermione out into Hogsmeade next weekend. He'd go all out, make it really romantic, the exact type of thing girls like, and then top it off with a little tour through the big bookshop. He'd buy whatever books she liked and be amazed by her knowledge on any subject already. Usually, he'd have to fake his wonder, but he assured Harry with a wide grin that Hermione never failed to truly amaze him, and that was what he liked about her so much.

Michael had sneered at the whole thing, saying the thought alone, about a Black with a Weasley made him queasy. Alphard could do better, he'd said, but neither Alphard nor Harry had the chance to set him straight. Megan had glared at her childhood friend and regular duelling partner so venomously that the boy had paled and muttered his apologies.

"You're right. Weasleys aren't that bad, I'm just channelling my sister. Don't listen to me," the boy had muttered blushing.

"Damn straight no one's listening to you," Megan hissed as she threw her long brown hair over her shoulder in a dismissive gesture.  
"And if you're interested to know, Ronald actually asked me out too. Officially. It was really cute."

"Didn't he ask you out for the New Year's party?" Avery asked confused.

The girl smirked devilishly ad twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers coyly.

"I asked him that time," she admitted easily.

Harry grinned widely and nodded his head in approval. She and Ron fit well together. The redhead could use the challenge an independent and strong feminine figure like Megan showed. Ron was someone who needed to be pushed, to be tested in ways an apple pie housewife couldn't. He'd be bored out of his mind if he were with a girl like that, but someone like Megan would keep him on his toes, and in return, he'd challenge Megan.

Harry looked over at Tom, wanting to comment on how well their friends were getting along when he saw his lover's scowl. His smile fell and he frowned. Tom had been quiet all morning. In fact, he hadn't even bothered to look at Harry since last night, and it worried Harry considerably. Had he done something wrong, or was this just Tom being stubborn again and silently freaking out about having feelings? Harry shrugged his shoulders and turned back towards the conversation. He couldn't think of anything he could have done to make Tom angry, so it was likely the second anyway.

The scream of terror breaking through their fun little breakfast conversation sort of ruined the mood though. Harry jumped up immediately, Alphard and Michael rushing right behind him as he made his way through the curious masses towards whoever had screamed. To his growing worry, they found Rosetta Diggory looking pale and trembling as she cried on the youngest Prewett brother's shoulder. The girl's friends were all huddled around, but oddly, Harry couldn't see July between them.

Hermione came to stand next to him, having shoved some people out of the way to get there. She gasped in horror as she saw what was really going on. Harry looked over, finding his friend looking sick. Her eyes were wide in fear and horror and her face was entirely ashen.

"Hermione?" he asked softly.

Hermione didn't look at him, instead, she pointed a trembling finger towards the other side of the hallway. Harry followed her line of sight and released his own horrified gasp. On the floor, next to a puddle of water, lay July, her eyes still wide in fear and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

"All students, out of the way!" they heard Dumbledore call out.

Harry moved slowly, completely numb in shock as he continued to stare at the girl he considered his friend. Only yesterday, he and July had been having fun together when studying in the library. They had a great talk, and July had confessed her feelings while Harry had proceeded to explain his relationship with Tom. The girl hadn't been jealous, and if she had been upset at all, she hadn't shown it. She had been so friendly and supportive.

"Poor girl!" professor Merrythought gasped horrified when she saw what happened.

The old woman then proceeded to turn towards the students surrounding the scene.

"What are you all doing standing around for?!" she demanded sternly.  
"Everyone return to your dorms immediately! Prefects, do your jobs!"

Harry wasn't listening to the commotion. His mind was completely blank with shock and horror. How could this have happened? After everything that had happened this year already, he had been so sure that he had prevented this. Where had he gone wrong? Why had…?

"Slytherin students, follow me please!"

His head snapped up and he stared at Tom. His boyfriend – _boyfriend_. Did the other still deserve that title? Could Harry still see him like that? – stayed calm as he instructed the younger students of their House to go with his fellow Prefect, Sandberg.

Alphard appeared next to Harry and started pulling his sleeve in an attempt to get his attention. Still unable to wrap his mind around everything that had happened, Harry followed his friend. His eyes never once left Tom as the other continued calming down the younger students. When Tom actually had the nerve to wipe the tears away from a first year Hufflepuff girl, something inside Harry finally snapped.

Before anyone could stop him, he had rushed to Tom's side. Tom looked up from the young girl and watched Harry with cold, dark eyes. It only infuriated Harry more and he raised his hand, bringing it down with great force against Tom's cheek. The older teen didn't even try and stop him from hitting him and just let his head snap to the side with the slap. The force of it had his glamour fall away, showing the already bruised cheek. Still, he didn't show any pain.

"Harry!" Alphard shouted shocked.

Harry ignored him and just stared at Tom in silence, his entire body trembling with rage. Tom stared back with a blank expression but a cold fire raging in his dark blue eyes as he stared in tearful killing curse green. After a few seconds, Tom sighed and turned away.

"Everyone go back to your dorms and wait for your heads of houses for further instructions!" he announced loudly to the awestruck crowd.  
"Al Slytherins, please follow Sandberg back to the dungeons. Professor Slughorn will join us there shortly with more information, I'm sure."

The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only Tom, Harry, Alphard, Hermione and the Weasleys. Tom barely even looked at Harry and completely ignored the others as he turned away from them and started walking back towards the dungeons. Harry was still too much in shock to say anything as he just watched his lover's retreating back. Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You utter bastard!" Ginny howled suddenly.  
"Disgusting piece of shit! How could you do that after everything Harry did for you?!"

Tom barely paused before walking on. Ginny balled her fists and raised her wand. The twins had to stop her from cursing Tom as Alphard tensed, his own wand in hand to protect his fellow Slytherin against the furious Gryffindor if he had to. Ron too looked about ready to hurt the Slytherin Heir, in fact, everyone besides Harry and Alphard himself looked like they wanted to kill the young Dark Lord.

"Why?" Harry asked softly.

This time, Tom did stop and he half turned, facing Harry with a bored look on his handsome features.

"Why what?" he asked coldly.  
"I have done nothing, Potter."

"You damn well know what you did, Riddle!" Ron screamed furious.

"And what would that be, Mr. Weasley?" Tom asked coolly.

"Like you don't know you bloody opened the-!"

Hermione quickly slapped a hand over her fake twin's mouth to stop him from saying any more. Ron glared at her, but the brunette just gave a pointed look in Alphard's direction, who was frowning confused at them all and Ron nodded in understanding. This only made Alphard frown deeper, but he didn't say anything.

In the meantime, Tom had already walked away from them and had already disappeared behind a corner. Harry glared in the direction, but didn't speak at all. His lips were pressed in a thin line, a deep scowl pulling his brows down until they nearly touched each other.

"Guys!"

Ginny and Ron jumped at the sudden call from Sirius as the older man approached them from behind and Hermione gave a slight squeak. Sirius looked at the place where July Andrews had been lying before some teachers and the Nurse had taken her away towards the Hospital Wing.

"Guys! I think we need to talk- Oh! Alphard, I hadn't seen you there."

Alphard frowned deeply and walked up next to Harry and Hermione, glaring at Sirius.

"Yes. I'm here too," he growled angrily.  
"And I'll stay around until I know what the bloody hell is going on!"

"Alphard, please," Hermione muttered, begging her almost-boyfriend with her eyes.

"NO! you guys have been keeping secrets the whole time and I want to know!"

The group was slightly surprised at Alphard's outburst and they stared at him in shock. Ginny was the first to recover and she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the boy.

"It's none of your bloody business what we do and don't!" she hissed.

"It is if it involves my friends!" Alphard growled back.

"Riddle doesn't do friends! He only has useful tools!" Ginny shot back.

"How would you know? You never even so much as talked to him! You just judge us all! What the hell is your problem with Slytherin anyway?" Alphard asked loudly, almost shouting at the younger girl.

"Let's go to Sirius' office," Harry mumbled.  
"We'll explain everything there, alright?"

"What?!" Ginny shrieked.

The boys of their group all winced at the volume and Alphard pulled up his nose, and put a finger in his ear as if to clean it out as he glared at Ginny. Sirius did the exact same time, muttering about his mother as Alphard grumbled about Walburga. Harry gave a snort and started walking, leading the others down to the Caretaker's office.

Once they arrived, Harry sat down on the small couch, Ron taking a seat on his right and Ginny on his left while the twins both sat down on the armrests and Hermione sat down on the desk chair. Sirius just leaned against the desk, giving Alphard nervous lances, who was standing tensely next to the closed door.

"Explain," the young Black commanded, sounding every bit the pureblood son he was.

"We came here with a… goal in mind," Harry started, cutting straight to the chase.  
"We were desperate, and once we realized it was possible, we knew it was our best shot at succeeding… at winning the war."

"You want to fight Grindelwald? What does coming here do for you?" Alphard asked confused.  
"And what has Tom to do with all this?"

"We're fighting a Dark Lord, but not Grindelwald," Sirius muttered reluctantly.

Alphard pulled up his brows and stared at the older Black.

"What other Dark Lord is there?" he asked confused.

"Lord Voldemort," Ginny spat, glaring at Alphard.

The young Slytherin boy tensed and stared at Ginny with wide eyes. The red haired girl was glaring at him with a hateful expression while George, who was sitting next to her rubbed her back in a comforting gesture, scowling deeply himself.

"Calm down, Ginny. Alphard won't join him. In fact, he'll actually support muggle rights," Sirius reminded her calmly.

"What are you talking about?!" Alphard asked, his tone confused and high pitched.

"We're not from around here…" Fred started carefully, eyeing Alphard warily.

"Or, well, we _are_ but not from _now_ , technically," George added softly.

Alphard frowned and stared at them all in confusion.

"We're from the future," Harry blurted out, getting sick from all the tiptoeing.

"From 53 years in the future, to be more precise," Hermione whispered.

"You're all insane," Alphard deadpanned.

Harry sighed and shook his head.

"We're not. We're telling you the truth," he said.  
"You're my friend, Alphard. I promise you, I'm not lying."

"We're here because Riddle is dangerous," Ron joined into the conversation.  
"He'll be even worse than Grindelwald. Where we come from, he's the most powerful Dark Lord in history."

Alphard looked at them all and sighed, rubbing his face as he glared at the redhead.

"This doesn't make any sense. Tom isn't evil. He has some great ideas about the future! He wants to be a teacher for Salazar's sake!" he exclaimed.

"He'll use Dark Rituals to enhance himself. To become more powerful. Invincible even," Sirius explained.  
"They'll drive him nuts. The War started in 1970, when I was only 10 years old, and ended in 1981, when he disappeared. His followers were known as Death Eaters. Mostly Purebloods and Dark Wizards who believe all muggles should die and muggleborns don't deserve magic."

"We all thought Tom was a muggleborn for years! He thought he was a muggleborn! Why would he want them dead?" Alphard shouted.

"We don't know, but he will," Harry muttered.

"Clearly he already does," Ginny said dryly.  
"I mean, he opened the Chamber, didn't he?"

"You have no proof that he did!" Alphard growled.

"He's the Heir of Slytherin," Harry reminded him, making Alphard real back in surprise.  
"Only a Parseltongue can open the Chamber and command the monster inside. Hell, I don't think a Parseltongue that _isn't_ related to Slytherin can command that thing."

"And how would you know that?" Alphard asked sceptically.

"Because I killed it before," Harry deadpanned.  
"Tom left a memory of his 16 year old self in a diary, and that thing possessed Ginny. He used her to open the Chamber a second time in 50 years. I followed them in and fought the Basilisk. I killed it with Gryffindor's sword."

"A Basilisk," Alphard muttered awed.

An awkward silence followed the explanation, making the several of the time travellers shuffle around in their seats nervously as they waited for Alphard's reaction. The young Black heaved a sigh and looked back up after thinking everything through. He looked between Harry, Hermione and Sirius for a moment and scowled again.

"So, who are you guys in the future, then?" he asked.

"None of us lied about our names," Ron said resolutely, glaring at Alphard, daring him to disagree.

"Except for me," Hermione whispered, looking at the boy guiltily.  
"My real name is Hermione Jean Granger… I'm a muggleborn."

Alphard blinked for a moment before giving a snort and a bitter smile.

"Burga is gonna have a field day with that if she ever found out I was pursuing a mudblood," he said.

Ron bristled at the insulting name, but Harry quickly put a hand on his shoulder. Alphard barely looked at them, keeping his attention on the girl he had gotten quite smitten with these past few months.

"I guess you lied because of Tom? You said he would persecute muggleborns, right?" he asked.

"That, and muggleborns aren't allowed into Durmstrang. It wouldn't have fit with our chosen background story," the girl replied nervously.

Alphard nodded in understanding before turning towards Sirius, looking at the man questioningly.

"So… me, Cygnus or Orion?" he asked curiously.

"Orion," Sirius replied tensely.  
"My mother is Walburga. I had a younger brother, but he died after defecting from the Death Eaters."

Alphard winced at that and gave the other a pitying look.

"I'm sorry to hear," he said quietly.

"At least he did what was right in the end," Sirius sighed.  
"I just wished I could have reconciled with him before then. We hadn't talked since I was 16. In fact, I hadn't talked with any of our family aside from you since then. I was a disgrace to my parents because I was a Gryffindor, and later because I supported muggle rights and followed Dumbledore."

"Why would anyone want to follow that barmy fool?" Alphard asked, a look of disgust crossing his features.

"He'll become Headmaster in a few years, and before that, he'll defeat Grindelwald," Sirius replied shrugging.  
"Besides, as a Gryffindor, I could never do anything wrong in his eyes anyway. Even though me and my friends were bullies, he never really took actions against it aside from letting the other teachers write us detentions and let them deduct points."

"Let me guess, you bullied Slytherins?" Alphard asked dryly, glaring at his nephew.

Sirius blushed in shame and nodded.

"I did everything I could to rebel against my parents at the time," he muttered.

Scowling deeply, Alphard sighed and shook his head. After that, he turned his head away from the other Black and looked towards Harry.

"And what about you?" he asked.

"I used to be a Gryffindor in my own time. We all were," Harry replied, smiling impishly at Alphard's dramatic wince.  
"The Golden Boy. Vanquisher of Lord Voldemort. My grandfather is Fleamont Potter, and I'm technically not related to any Blacks, but Sirius is my godfather and he has listed me as his Heir, as he is the last male of the Black Line. The only other person who is in line to inherit the title is Draco Malfoy."

This time, it was Ron who winced, making Alphard raise a brow at him. The redhead smiled crookedly at the dark haired teen and shrugged.

"The guy's a prat," he said as explanation.

The young Black rolled his eyes and looked back towards Harry.

"What did you mean, Vanquisher of Lord Voldemort?" he asked confused.  
"If he's already gone, why are you here to stop him?"

"Because he's back," Harry replied.  
"He used my blood in a resurrection ritual during our fourth year at Hogwarts when I was forced to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament?" Alphard parroted wide eyed.  
"But that's been banished for decades because of the death rate!"

"The Tournament wasn't what killed Cedric though," Harry muttered bitterly.


	28. Snakes

Tom didn't talk to Harry at all for the following two days, and it drove the young time traveller mad. Most of the other Slytherin, of course stayed out of his way as well, afraid to invoke the wrath of their Lord. Only Alphard and Megan still bothered, with Avery and Michael often looking his way apologetically and the Lestrange brothers sometimes still talked to him as well, though they were careful to only do it when Tom wasn't around to see them.

Then, the most terrible thing happened: another victim had been found. Harry and Alphard watched from the side, along with many other students as the petrified body of Smith, the 6th year Gryffindor that had been harassing Harry along with McLaggen and McKinnon. Harry frowned deeply at the sight and turned away, walking from the scene with Alphard on his heels.

"Why does he do this when he knows you guys know it's him?" Alphard wondered out loud when they were in an empty hallway.  
"Isn't he worried you guys will take action against him, or bust him? You know where the Chamber is after all."

"I think he's punishing me for something, but I don't know what I did to make him angry," Harry muttered.

"I guess we should ask him soon. Maybe we can make him stop," Alphard suggested.

"He doesn't even talk to me anymore, Alphard," Harry said frowning.

Eventually, they arrived at the Caretaker's office, where the rest of the group time travellers were already waiting for them. Ginny, as a flurry of red fury, suddenly appeared in front of them, her face red with rage as she stared at Harry.

"He's done it again!" she accused angrily.  
"We agreed that if he went this far, we'd rid the world of him!"

"You want to kill Tom?!" Alphard exclaimed perplexed.

"I think it's time for plan B, mate," Ron said gently, looking at his friend worriedly.

Harry's expression hardened immediately and he balled his fists. The rest of his friends all looked away, most of them looking either very sad or guilty. Fred walked up to Harry and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, making the younger teen look up at him questioningly.

"If you want, we'll do it for you," the older teen said, smiling weakly.

"No," Harry muttered quickly, pulling away from his friend and instead wrapped his own arms around himself, glaring at the others in the room.  
"If it comes to that, I'll do it myself, but it's not that time yet. I'll talk to him. I can make him stop before he kills Myrtle."

Alphard made a choking noise at that revelation and he stared at Harry in shock. The other dark haired teen ignored him however, and walked back out of the room. Alphard quickly turned on his heels, waving at Hermione before rushing after his Housemate.

"So, we'll try talking to Tom now?" he asked hopeful.  
"I mean, I know Tom, and this isn't him, I promise! No need to kill him."

"I wish I could believe that," Harry muttered, smiling wryly.

. . . . .

Alphard had to run to keep up with Harry's quick pace, even though he was taller than him. It was an obvious sign of Harry's worry that he moved that fast. It was also a sign to Alphard that he was a lot more than he let on. His expression was hard, almost like a soldier going into battle and suddenly he realized that if it came to it, Harry would keep his earlier promise and kill Tom.

"We'll talk him out of it," Alphard said, more t himself than Harry.

They had to. Alphard really did care about Tom. He was his friend after all. Or he used to be at least. Alphard had been the first to talk to Tom, the first to accept him for his lesser blood even before his true heritage was revealed. But then the other started gaining a following, and Alphard became lost in the crowd. Tom had 'rewarded him for his loyalty' by making him his 'second in command', but only after Abraxas Malfoy had graduated two years ago.

"If we can get Tom to see his mistake at least," Harry muttered.

"Tom doesn't believe he can make those," Alphard relied.  
"We'll need something else to make it clear to him."

"If he continues on the path he is now, he'll die a painful death while trying to kill a baby in its crib."

Alphard blinked in surprise.

"… Does he know?" he asked.

"Yeah, and it apparently didn't stop him," Harry muttered darkly.

"That's not good. Dying is Tom's greatest fear. Everyone knows that."

They arrived in the common room, where Tom was currently in the middle of playing a game of Wizarding Chess with Nott. The younger boy was being utterly destroyed and was scowling in frustration. Tom sighed bored and made his Tower move.

"Check… again," he muttered.

"Tom! We need to talk," Harry called out as he and Alphard approached.

The whole group was together, as they were nearly all the time it seemed, and as such, Harry had 8 sets of eyes on him. Unfortunately, this didn't include Tom, as he was still looking down at the chessboard.

"Then talk," the Slytherin Heir spoke.

"In private," Harry emphasised, looking at the rest of the group.

Alphard shuffled around nervously when he noticed Tom didn't make a move to stand up.

"Tom, please-…" he started, but fell silent and tensed when Tom's head snapped up and he stared right into those dark blue orbs.

"Since when does 'in private' include Alphard?" Tom growled, glaring at Harry.

"Since I told him about it," Harry shot back annoyed.  
"Do you have a problem with that? Too bloody bad! Your actions left me no choice but to include him!"

This time, Tom did stand up, his palms slamming harshly on the table, making several of the chess pieces scramble to the side. Many of the others took an unconscious step back, eyes going wide in fear, but Harry stood his ground, glaring back stubbornly. A vicious grin spread on Tom's face, making Harry scowl worried.

"In that case, why don't we include everyone in this, Potter?" the young Dark Lord hissed.

"Fine!" Harry growled back, glaring angrily.  
"If you don't close the bloody Chamber again, people will die!"

Several gasps of surprise, horror and shock were heard, and Alphard was pretty sure he heard Megan mutter something that sounded a lot like 'Called it'. Tom smirked darkly and sat back down, seemingly relaxing again, but Alphard knew the other long enough to know he never relaxed, especially not now. His shoulders had a tenseness to them they didn't have when he felt he was in charge of the conversation. Tom was scared.

"That's sort of the whole idea behind the Chamber though, isn't it?" he said flippantly.

"Not for you it isn't," Harry gritted.  
"Hermione told me you don't hate muggleborns."

" _Yet_ ," Tom added, glaring darkly at him.  
"I thought I'd better start early if that's what I'll do eventually anyway."

Alphard noted how the others were all incredibly confused by the current conversation, and more of their Housemates were noticing the commotion and joining them. By now, Ravina, Rowle, Wilkes and his own siblings and cousin had made their way over as well.

"You don't have to become him, Tom!" Harry cried out, getting very desperate now.

"And why would I want to?" Tom asked quietly.

"BECAUSE VOLDEMORT WILL DIE!"

This had the whole room tense up. Many eyes, including Harry's own, widened in shock, and several of Tom's closest friends pulled out their wands.

"Is that a threat, Potter?" Mulciber growled darkly.

"It's a bloody warning! Put that wand down, Mulciber!" Harry shouted aggravated.

Tom sighed dramatically and stood back up. Not even bothering to look Harry's way, he started walking away towards the exit of the common room. Harry frowned in confusion and started walking after him, only to be blocked by the Lestrange brothers.

"Get out of my bloody- Tom! Where are you going! We're not done here!"

"Somewhere with some peace and quiet!" Tom called back uncaringly.

Harry growled and muttered under his breath. Alphard only caught part of it, but it sounded a bit like 'You don't bloody deserve quiet' to him. The Time traveling wizard pushed past the two brothers and rushed after Tom, cursing loudly.

"What the bloody hell was all that about, Alphard?!" Walburga demanded the second the door was closed again.

Alphard looked over at her, and saw that literally everyone was staring at him expectantly. Walburga especially was glaring warningly. Alphard swallowed nervously. Shit.

. . . . .

"Tom, talk to me, please!" Harry called after the other teen.

Tom didn't listen. He just walked on, further away from the dungeons with Harry jogging after him.

"If you don't, you won't give me any choice, Tom!" Harry yelled desperately.

This had Tom stop in his tracks. The teen turned back around, his usually dark blue eyes lighting up violet with rage as he glared at Harry. The younger of the two wondered for a moment if this was it. That Tom would kill him as the young Dark Lord approached him again with large steps.

"Won't give you any choice?!" he hissed furious as he put his face right into Harry's, pressing their noses together.  
"Are you going to kill me then, Harry? You must be so relieved that you don't have to act as if you like me anymore, don't you?"

"Act?" Harry asked confused.  
"How can you even-"

 ** _*Kill. Hunt. Blood. I want blood.*_**

He tensed at the dark, hissing voice slithering through the walls. Green eyes widened in horror. The Basilisk was hunting again, and here Tom was, acting like whatever was going on was Harry's fault!

"You utter bastard!" Harry growled, pushing Tom away.

Tom stared in shock as Harry bolted away, before cursing and running after the time traveller. Harry didn't care much at the moment. He needed to stop the Basilisk from killing anyone, or petrifying. After everything, how could Tom do this?! Where had Harry gone wrong?

To his surprise, he was actually on time for once, as he saw the large snake sneaking up on a young 2nd year Ravenclaw girl. Harry's eyes widened in panic and he rushed forward, grabbing the girl before she could turn around and see the monster. The girl screamed in fear, but Harry pressed her face against his chest to prevent her from seeing anything.

 ** _*Thief! You stole my prey!*_**

The Basilisk hissed angrily. Harry had his own eyes squeezed shut, knowing that looking at the monster was fatal. He just hoped the girl would come out of this alive. Suddenly, he felt a wet, scaly appendage wrap around his torso. His eyes snapped open and he looked in horror as the Basilisk's tail wrapped around him and pulled him away from the little girl. He was swung away harshly against a wall, and his head made contact with a loud 'crack', making him grunt in pain.

 ** _*Stop!*_**

Harry tried to blink away the black spots, only to find that the whole world had become blurry, meaning he had lost his glasses somewhere in the attack. Still, he noticed a figure rushing to the little blob that was the girl's side. Harry sighed in relief before everything went dark.


	29. Parseltongue

Consciousness slowly returned to him and was unfortunately paired with a splitting headache. Harry groaned and squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could. He could barely move, so he couldn't try to ease the pain by holding his head and rubbing his temples.

"He's awake!" he heard Ginny's voice exclaim relieved.

Slowly, he tried to open his eyes. He had to blink a few times against the light, which only made his head throb more, but he succeeded eventually. He wasn't all that surprised to see his friends leaning over him. And by friends, he only meant the Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius, and apparently Alphard. That last one had him scowl in surprise.

"Good to see you awake again, mate," Ron said grinning.

"Yeah! If you'd slept a little longer-" Fred started with a smirk.

"-Sirius would have gone down to the Slytherin dungeons to kill Riddle himself!" George finished snickering.

That had Harry almost sit upright in his bed. His eyes were wide and panicked as he looked over at his friends.

"The-the little girl!" he asked desperately.  
"Is she… she's-she's alright, right? I saved her…"

"She's alright," Hermione soothed quickly.

"But I'm not!" Alphard huffed, glaring playfully at Harry.  
"You bloody left me to explain everything to the others! Walburga almost put me in the bed next to you when I told her you guys were time-travellers. Most of them thought I was insane till Tom came back to tell them himself, and tell me you were in here."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled embarrassed.

"So, what do we do now?" Ginny asked worried.  
"They all know why we're here for."

"I only know one thing for sure," Alphard muttered.  
"And that's that Harry will have to answer for a lot of things when he returns to the dorms."

"I think he might have to a bit earlier," Sirius growled, looking at the door.

Harry frowned and looked over. He swallowed nervously when Tom, along with Nickolas, Dimitri, Megan, Michael, Avery, Mulciber, Nott and Dolohov walked in. They all looked rightly pissed off, their wands out and ready for use as Tom walked over to his bed with purposeful strides. The Twins, Ginny and Sirius pulled their own wands out as well, and Fred and George moved to block Tom's way. A flash of annoyance appeared in Tom's dark eyes before he turned to Alphard.

"Alphard, please show your friends out. I have something to discuss with Potter, _in private_ ," he said coolly.

"Like Hell you do!" Ginny growled angrily.  
"He's in here because of you in the first place!"

Dimitri was the first to move when he saw Ginny get ready to curse Tom, and he jumped forward, pressing the tip of his wand against the girl's throat. He sneered at the youngest Weasley.

"Don't even bloody think about it," he hissed.

"Let go of my sister, you bastard!" Ron growled, taking out his own wand, only to come face to face with Megan.

"No fighting in the hospital wing," Tom spoke calmly, putting on his Prefect persona easily.  
"Alphard, please lead everyone outside in an orderly manner. I promise only to talk with Potter."

With a sigh, Alphard stood up and he grasped Hermione's shoulder gently.

"Let's go. You all heard Tom," he announced.

The Slytherin's all glared at Harry's friends, and waited tensely until they started moving before obeying Alphard's words as well. Once everyone was out of the room, Tom pulled out his wand and cast a few privacy charms on the room and Harry's hospital bed. After that, he turned to face Harry for the first time. Harry glowered at him from the bed.

"Since when am I just 'Potter' to you?" he asked quietly.

"How did you know where the Basilisk would be?" Tom demanded to know, ignoring Harry's question.

"That's not how this is going to work," Harry said scowling.  
"If you want _any_ answers, you'll have to give me some too."

"Who says I won't just take what I want?" Tom asked darkly.

"Is that what you've been doing then?" Harry shot back, glaring at Tom.  
"Is that why you suddenly won't talk to me anymore? I'm no longer useful to you?"

Tom gritted his teeth. His hands tightened around the bars of Harry's bed until his knuckles turned white.

"July Andrews! That's why!" he growled.

"Because I'm friends with her?" Harry asked incredulous.

"Don't act as if I'm stupid, Harry! I saw you in the library with that chit!"

Harry couldn't believe it. He threw his head back and laughed hysterically, making Tom pause to look at him in shock. All this for a stupid misunderstanding! Tom was _jealous_.

"We're just friends, Tom. We were _talking_ and doing _homework_ ," he said.  
"Other than you, we actually have to put time in schoolwork, you know."

"Andrews definitely has more than just friendly feelings for you," Tom deadpanned.

Harry snorted at that and nodded his head in agreement. Tom's eyes darkened with rage and he opened his mouth, but Harry quickly held up a hand, stopping while he grinned at the older teen.

"The whole thing was really embarrassing," Harry chuckled.  
"I was obliviously telling her about our relationship and how happy it made me when she admitted she thought our study date was an actual date. Imagine my horror when I realized her friendliness was actually flirting and I never even realized! I apologized for leading her on and asked if we could still be friends."

"You didn't even notice?!" Tom asked shocked.

"It wasn't that obvious, was it?" Harry asked innocently.

Tom looked about ready to have a mental breakdown at that. The sight of a distraught Tom was actually pretty hilarious, and Harry could help but chuckle in amusement at the sight. Eventually, Tom sighed and shook his head in defeat.

"I'll forgive you for your mistake since you won't be hanging out with her anymore," he said.

That of course wiped the smile right off Harry's face.

"You forgive me- What do you mean I won't hang out with her anymore?!" Harry exclaimed angrily.  
"She's my friend! And you don't have a bloody thing to forgive me for! _You_ misunderstood the situation and acted instead of trying to _talk to me!_ "

"She's _in love with you_ , Harry!" Tom hissed back.  
"I won't allow you to be friends with her!"

"You can't tell me who are and aren't my friends, Tom!" Harry shouted frustrated.  
"I'm my own bloody person, not one of your mindless followers!"

"You're my _boyfriend_! I think I have a right to decide at least with you!"

Tom had let go of the bed and walked up to loom over Harry. The position would by most have been considered intimidating, but Harry just glared back at him fiercely.

"And I respect you opinion if you actually give me a good reason!" Harry growled.

"She wants to steal you away from me!" Tom shouted right back.

Harry just raised a brow, staring at Tom with a deadpan expression. Tom growled in aggravation and leaned even closer so their noses were almost touching.

 ***You're mine! She can't have you!*** he hissed furiously.

Harry narrowed his eyes and pushed the older boy off with a harsh shove.

 ***I'm my own person! I can be friends with whoever I want!*** he hissed back.

Harry's eyes widened when he realized his mistake and he froze. Tom just stood there, staring at him silently before his expression turned completely blank and he sat down on Harry's bed. Harry had to resist the urge to move away, but because backing up would mean he was afraid of Tom and he refused to give the older teen a victory like that.

"You're a Parselmouth," Tom spoke, deadly calm.

"Yeah," Harry replied, eyeing the other suspiciously.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why should I? Despite what you seem to believe, Tom, I'm allowed to decide for myself whether or not I tell you something."

Tom glared at him and leaned over Harry. This time, Harry move back, falling back into the cushions and he was easily caged in when Tom's hands came to rest on either side of his head. This was becoming a regular position for them it seemed.

"And you seem to be under the impression that you can keep this sort of thing from me," Tom growled back.  
"What else haven't you told me? How can you speak Parseltongue? Are you a descendant of Slytherin? Are we related to each other?"

"We're not related!" Harry hissed annoyed.  
"If you're worried about pursuing an incestuous relationship, we're not."

"Then how do you possibly speak the tongue of snakes?!" Tom nearly shouted in frustration.

"BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Tom reeled back in surprise and looked around himself, quickly casting a few more privacy charms on the both of them before looking back at Harry with an expression that demanded an explanation. Harry sighed deeply and dragged his hands through his hair in exasperation. This was all just so bloody frustrating!

"When you – Voldemort – tried to kill me and the spell backfired, some of your – or his – powers were handed over to me as well," Harry told the other softly.  
"Because of that, I can talk to snakes a-and my scar hurts whenever I get close to him… or tingles whenever I'm close to you."

A strange look came over Tom's expression and Harry felt a shiver of something akin to fear run over his spine. Tom seemed thoughtful, curious, and understanding… What was it that he knew about Harry's condition? Harry sat straighter in his bed and leaned close to Tom much in the same way the other always did with him whenever he wanted information.

"You know more about this, don't you?" he asked.

"No," Tom denied. Harry wanted to call bullshit, but Tom held up a hand.  
"But I might have a suspicion about what it might be."

"What? Tell me Tom!" he demanded eagerly.

Tom raised a brow and smirked. He leaned closer to Harry until their faces almost touched, but Harry didn't pull away this time like he usually did. He just stared back, green eyes wide in curiosity.

"Why should I tell you anything if you continue keeping secrets for me?" Tom asked smoothly.

"That's not the same," Harry replied frowning.  
"I keep secrets for the sake of the whole wizarding world. You're just being selfish and petty."

"Ouch," Tom muttered fake hurt, pressing a hand against his chest.  
"That hurt my feelings Harry. Now I definitely won't tell you."

"Tom please! I won't keep any secrets anymore alright? Just tell me already!"

"Fine. What do you know about Horecruxes Harry?"

. . . . .

Alphard looked up when the door opened and Tom walked out, looking awfully pleased with himself about something. That expression was immediately wiped away when he saw the rest of the Slytherins and replaced by a look of utter shock. The sight, as it was extremely rare to see Tom caught by surprise by _anything_ was so hilarious, Alphard couldn't help himself and he burst out in laughter.

It was to be expected, really, as they were all lying on the floor, covered in living ducks. Tom looked over at him, but the dark glare was not enough to make him stop laughing at all. In fact, it just made him laugh harder. Tom quickly turned away from him and looked over at Sirius.

"Being from a later time period has its perks," the School's Caretaker said smirking.

"Did you know there will be a spell invented that makes all the spells of the one it's cast on do nothing but make ducks appear?" Alphard asked snickering.  
"You have to teach me that one, Sirius! It was so funny!"

"Ducks?" Tom asked blankly.

"Invented it with three of my closest friends when we were students ourselves," Sirius said smugly.

"And Ginny did something called the Bat Bogey Hex! That was pretty great too! And I don't know what the Twins did, but they actually turned Mulciber's robes in a pink tutu!"

"Free them. We're leaving again," Tom demanded as he started walking away.  
"Alphard! Let's go, I have much to think about and I could use your insights in this."

Alphard scowled. He was actually a bit surprised Tom still wanted him around after what happened the last few days. His close connection with Harry and his friends would normally have been considered treachery by Tom and the others. They'd consider Alphard's allegiance with the Weasleys an insult even, yet here he was, still treating Alphard as his second in command. Or again, since Harry had taken that spot from him until their sudden fallout.

"What about Harry?" Hermione asked.

"He has a lot to think about too," Tom replied smirking.

With those words, he started walking again. Alphard muttered a quick goodbye before running after his Lord and friend. He was slightly worried about what had happened inside, but Alphard knew Tom truly cared about Harry, so whatever it was, it couldn't have been too bad. Tom's mood was too good for anything bad to have happened.

"And sent the others down once they can stand on their two feet together, will you Miss Granger!" Tom called behind them.

Alphard frowned. Tom was way too pleased with himself.

"What happened in there?" he asked curiously.

"Let's just say I fell in love with Harry all over again," Tom hummed.


	30. A Gryffindor Day

Fred, George, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had all banded together in the Gryffindor common room out of worry for Harry. It had been two days since the incident with Harry and the Basilisk, and after that talk their friend had with Riddle, he refused to speak to anyone.

"I still think he cursed Harry," Ginny announced.

"The nurse checked him over twice, Gin," Fred reminded his little sister.

"There's absolutely no curse residue on him," George added.

"It must have been something he said," Ron muttered.  
"Bloody Riddle. First he seduces Harry, and now he's trying to kill him."

"I highly doubt Tom wants to _kill_ Harry, Ron," Hermione deadpanned.  
"Alphard said his feelings towards Harry are the most real he's ever seen. He think Tom might even be in love."

"And Alphard is a reliable source?" Ron asked doubtfully.  
"Alright, he isn't bad, but he's still a follower of Riddle and a Slytherin."

"So is Megan Yaxley!" Hermione hissed furiously.

Ron turned bright red at the implications and opened his mouth to apologize, but Hermione was already up and she packed her stuff together with a swipe of her wand.

" _I_ have a date with Alphard after classes tomorrow," she announced proudly.  
"So I better go and get my schoolwork done tonight."

With her nose thrust up high in the air, she walked away. Ron was glaring at the entrance of the common room even after Hermione had disappeared.

"What's got her so wound up?" he asked annoyed.

Fred and George rolled their eyes, chuckling while Ginny leaned over to hit him over the head.

"Ouch! What's that for, Gin?" he asked annoyed.

"For being a bloody idiot!" his sister fumed before storming off.

"Girls," Ron muttered, glaring at Ginny's retreating form.  
"As if dating now is a good idea! Hagrid got expelled because of Riddle!"

"Shouldn't we tell Harry about that?" George asked scowling.

"What? Break into the hospital wing so we can upset him even more?" Fred asked incredulous.  
"Great idea, George. I'm sure the nurse will love us for that."

Ron stared at his two brothers in pure shock. Fred and George never argued. Ever.

"We'll tell him when he's better," he quickly decided.

Fred and George looked over at their little brother and both nodded in agreement, making Ron smile in relief. With a sigh, he stood up.

"I'm bloody tired," he muttered before moving towards his dorm.

. . . . .

Ginny was pretty sure someone up there truly hated her. They had to be, otherwise, she wouldn't be stuck having classes with Slytherin _all day long_. She barely had to see any of them any other day of the bloody week, but this day had all the Slytherin/Gryffindor classes put together and it was torture.

"Alright!" Professor Merrythought called out.  
"For the next spell, I need two volunteers…"

Ginny, like all the other students, tried to shrink away. Merrythought was known to be a bit 'harsh' with her volunteers, and thus, no one ever stepped forward. This also meant the old woman had taken on just pointing at random students to assist her.

"Weasley! Lestrange!" she snapped.

Ginny sighed in annoyance and stepped forward, glaring at the other boy, which was returned by an unhappy glower from the red haired Slytherin boy. Both of them tensely stood, facing each other while Merrythought stood between them.

"The spell I want to teach you lot is the knee-turning hex," the stern woman spoke.  
"Now, you two will try and use this on each other. The first to succeed will earn 5 points for their House."

Ginny nodded gravely and got in position, watching closely as Merrythought showed them how it was done. After that, she and Lestrange turned at each other and got ready.

"Ready, set, duel!"

Lestrange shot the hex first, which Ginny quickly deflected with a perfectly timed 'Protego' before shooting the same hex back at Lestrange, who ducked away just in time. Ginny frowned and tried three more times, all of which were easily deflected by the boy. Lestrange tried another two times, which Ginny ducked at the first and deflected at the second try.

Growling in frustration, Lestrange pointed his wand at Ginny, who tensed at the sudden anger burning in the boy's grey eyes.

"Expeliarmus!" he shouted.

Ginny could only just put up a protego in time before the disarming charm hit her shield with startling force. The Gryffindor grit her teeth and quickly jumped to the side, casting her famous Bat-bogey hex back at the bloody bastard before her eyes widened and she realized her mistake.

The spell hit, and Lestrange slammed his hands over his face, but it was too late, as one small, green bat escaped his nose cavity. The boy's eyes widened in horror along with Ginny's and he pointed his wand back at her, casting, to Ginny's greatest shock, a fully successful Fiendfyre.

"That's enough!" Merrythought screamed as she cast a spell to get rid of the fire.  
"Lestrange, 10 points from Slytherin and two weeks detention. Weasley! Also 10 points from Gryffindor and one week detention!"

The two redheads nodded, gone back to glaring at each other hatefully. When the class was dismissed, Ginny turned around briskly and strode out of the room quickly. She didn't get far before Lestrange caught up with her and grabbed her arm.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" he hissed furiously.

"Me?! What the hell was that Fiendfyre about?!" the girl growled back angrily.  
"What? Are we trying to kill each other now? I thought you guys were trying to prove you _weren't_ the bad guys!"

"That was me making sure no one saw you used a bloody spell that hasn't even been invented yet!" Lestrange whispered harshly, his eyes darting around to make sure no one overheard.

Ginny tensed and stared at the boy with wide eyes and a slightly gaping mouth. He… had tried to help her? Why?

"Why?" she asked confused.

"Because Tom told me so," Lestrange scoffed.  
"And because I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Right," Ginny drawled sarcastically.

Lestrange smirked.

"Still hate us, Weasley?" he asked teasingly.  
"Your siblings don't, and neither does Harry."

"Well, I'm not them, am I?" Ginny replied annoyed.

Lestrange let his eyes wander over her body and smiled appreciatively, making Ginny blush a bit.

"You certainly aren't," he agreed smirking.

"Wh-what…"

"How about this: I'll go in there and tell Merrythought I was the only one at fault, and in return, you teach me that spell with the bats," Lestrange suggested.

"The Bat-bogey Hex," Ginny corrected him automatically.

Lestrange nodded in understanding and walked back towards the classroom, but this time Ginny stopped him by talking.

"Thanks, Lestrange," she mumbled.

"Call me Dimitri… Ginny."

Ginny blushed again and watched as the Slytherin redhead walked back into the Defence classroom.

. . . . .

Having Charms together with Ravenclaw always send Ron back into memory lane (he'd never forget how Hermione had imperiously told him it was Levi-OH-sa, not Levi-oh-SA). So, he had taken to always sit next to her to read from her notes and get help when he had trouble. She didn't mind (probably liking the sense of nostalgia as well) and just let him read over her shoulder.

After class, Hermione was eager to pack het books and stand up. Ron scowled confused. Their whole year had a free period now, and she couldn't be planning to see Harry in the hospital. He refused any and all visitors and unlike Riddle, they all respected his privacy wishes.

"See you at dinner again, Ron," Hermione said hurriedly.

"Where are you off so fast?" Ron asked, not yet letting her leave.

"Hermione!"

Ron scowled as he found out the answer to his own question. Alphard was standing at the doorway of the classroom and was grinning and waving. Hermione blushed a bit and waved back meekly.

"Never mind," Ron sighed, stepping out of the way so Hermione could go greet her almost-boyfriend.

Ron still had a hard time trusting the dark haired Slytherin, still remembering the storied his dad used to tell him. The Blacks were a bigoted family even worse than the Malfoys. They had disowned Ron's grandmother because she had married a 'bloodtraitor' after all. Sure, Sirius was alright, but he himself had resented his entire family. Who said Alphard Black, Tom Riddle's right hand man, would be any better than the rest of his family?

Yes, Ron better make sure that Alphard was the right guy for Hermione. After all, he was supposed to be her twin brother now, wasn't he? Nodding to himself, he slowly walked the same way as Hermione and Alphard had gone.

He caught up with them pretty soon, and made sure to stay at a safe distant in the crowd of students rushing to their next class. He could see Hermione eagerly talking to Alphard, who smiled and nodded the entire time and every once in a while commented on something that would either make the bushy haired brunette giggle, blush or both at the same time.

Ron groaned a bit to himself when the duo walked into the library. He wasn't a big fan of the place, and even though this time didn't have a madam Pince, he still expected her to come screeching every time he dropped a book. Mister Handle, a German, was the current librarian, and he mostly slept through his days.

Making sure neither Hermione, not Alphard could see him, Ron snuck into the library with them, always keeping one row of bookcases between him and them. They were talking about classes now, and Alphard actually seemed to offer his help with Ancient Runes, saying he had to study it at home since his dad was a curse breaker.

Ron jumped in fright when two arms wound around his neck and he looked to his side. He blushed when he saw Megan smirking up at him.

"So, who and why are we stalking?" she asked casually.

She looked through the space Ron had created by taking out two books to better spy on the duo and tensed. Ron became even redder, his cheeks heating up at the way Megan's eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, the Slytherin girl took a step back and looked at Ron with a blank expression.

"Alphard and Hermione?" she asked.

"Just making sure he's the right guy for her," Ron muttered lamely.

"Are you the right guy for her?" Megan asked coldly.

Ron's eyes widened in shock and stared at Megan for a few moments.

"She's my sister!"

"No, she's not."

Ron's mouth snapped shut at that.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"I guessed," Megan sneered.  
"You just confirmed my suspicions."

Ron sighed and drug his hands through his hair. This would be a hard one to explain no doubt. Megan huffed when Ron stayed quiet for too long and turned away angrily. Quickly, Ron reached out and grasped the girl's wrist.

"I don't like her like that!" he told her hurriedly.  
"I mean, I used to, but not anymore!"

"How can I know that for sure though?" Megan accused.  
"You're acting like an over protective brother almost all the time around her, and that's only a small step away from jealous boyfriend."

"Because I love you!" Ron said loudly, almost shouting it.

Megan tensed at those words, while Ron's eyes widened in horror. He quickly let go of Megan so he could slap both his hands over his mouth, staring horrified at the girl. He never meant to say that!

"I-I mean…" he stammered weakly.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw Megan smile brightly at him and blushed. Before he knew what was happening, the Slytherin pounced and jumped in his arms enthusiastically, kissing him with all she had.

On the other side of the bookcase, Hermione and Alphard had stopped talking when they heard the shout, and Hermione scowled in anger. Had Ron really followed her all the way here? Angry and ready to tear her 'brother' a new one, she stormed to the other side, only to stop dead in her tracks and blush furiously when she caught him not spying, but making out heatedly with Megan.

. . . . .

"Are you sure no one's going to catch us?" Lucinda asked the other girl nervously.

Fred and George, who had been discussing new possible pranks in the empty classroom near the kitchens fell silent and turned towards the partially opened door. They found two of their year mates walking passed. Summer Tate, the mouthy and bossy Hufflepuff was dragging the shy and mellowed platinum haired Ravenclaw by her wrist. The Gryffindor boys looked at each other before sneaking after the duo of girls.

"I really don't think we should be around here," Lucinda tried again.

"If someone notices us, I'll just tell them we were going to study for our NEWT's in my dorm," Tate said dryly.  
"Seriously, Lucy, you need to relax some more! No one even knows where the kitchens are!"

"We do," Fred piped up.

The two girls jumped and turned to look at the smirking twins. Tate flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips, glaring at the two redheads while her friend looked away, blushing in embarrassment at being caught.

"Are you going to tell on us, Weasley?" she asked bravely.

"Depends on what exactly you're doing here," Fred said smirking.

"If it's for something illegal, we'll let you to it," George joked.

"But if it's something helpful and meaningful, I'm afraid we have a duty to the school," Fred said mock apologetic.

Lucinda couldn't help herself from giggling at that and Tate, too, smiled. In a matter of seconds, all the tension was bled out of the group and Tate motioned for the twins to follow her and Lucinda. She walked up to the painting that hid the kitchens and tickled the pear. The painted fruit giggled before turning into a doorknob, which Tate grabbed and swung the door open.

The House elves, all working hard until they arrived, all paused to watch them enter before they started swarming them, happy to see some of the 'young masters' in their kitchen. Before any of them could say anything, the elves had dumped four slices of apple cake I their hands and most of them had already gone back to work. Only two stayed behind, their large ears perked up and their eyes wide and expectant. Fred and George grinned and quickly shoved their pieces of cake in their mouths, moaning in pleasure at the wonderful taste.

"What can elves do for the young masters?" a wrinkly elf with large, grey eyes asked.

"I was hoping if some of you could give me some cooking lessons," Lucinda told them.

"Why'd you need to learn how to cook?" George asked confused.

"Yeah. Don't the Malfoy's have like a small army of elves?" Fred piped up.

"But the Weasleys don't," Tate reminded them.  
"And that's where Lucinda's going this summer."

"Then take some elves with you," Fred said shrugging.

"Elves are tied to a house more than to a family," Tate replied.  
"Besides, the engagement between them is more to defuse the rivalry between Lucy's dad and Septimus' uncle. They used to be classmates after all, which really didn't end well."

Fred hummed and leaned against the large table, smirking at Tate.

"You're pretty smart, aren't you, Summer?" he said.

"Not only Ravens can be smart," the brunette snorted.

"And not only Gryffs dare to bend a rule or two," Fred answered amused.  
"Because I'm pretty sure no one's allowed in the kitchens."

Summer Tate smiled at him and stepped closer, putting both her hands on the table top at Fred's sides and leaning in so they were face-to-face with their noses almost touching.

"As a Hufflepuff, I have some extra privileges concerning the kitchens," she purred.

"Like what?" Fred asked, raising a brow.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

George chuckled and turned away from his twin and the brunette Hufflepuff bantering to watch Lucinda follow the instruction of the wrinkly old elf on how to make a pie. He couldn't help but wonder why his grandfather would betray such a beauty for a girl like Cedrella Black. True, Cedrella was a very sexy girl as well, and much more social than the shy blonde, but she was nothing compared to the angelic beauty of Lucinda. Plus, George was pretty sure Cedrella wouldn't give as much of an effort as Lucinda did either. Seriously, the girl was learning how to _cook_ for a cheating bastard! What else could a guy ask for?

"Need any help?" George asked her.

Lucinda looked up, her silver eyes innocently wide in surprise.

"You can cook?" she asked shocked.

"Had to learn it to help out mum," George said.  
"And like Tate put it earlier, Weasleys don't have elves, so we paid a bit more attention to stuff like that because we knew we'd have to do it on our own eventually."

He stepped up to the counter and rolled up his sleeves. Sure, he knew a few spells to make baking easier, but he wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty either. And if Lucinda wanted to learn by hand, he'd do the same thing.

"Just think of it as making a potion," he said.  
"You're really good at potions, right?"

Lucinda blushed and nodded, making George smile. They had Potions with Ravenclaw, so he had all the time to look at the ethereal beauty all class long. He didn't particularly care it hurt his own grades all that much to be honest. They were still good enough and it wasn't like he was planning on becoming a Potions Master, so he didn't need an O on the subject.

George looked away from Lucinda and focussed back on the dough. He put some flour over it and gently grasped Lucinda's hands in his own, guiding them to knead the dough. When he looked back up to her face, he noticed her usually pale face was bright red, and he couldn't help but smile at that.

"You're really beautiful," he whispered.

Lucinda tensed and pulled her hands out of George's as she looked away shyly.

"I'm engaged to your cousin," she reminded him.  
"You shouldn't try to flirt."

George chuckled softly and shook his head. Just then, Fred appeared and threw an arm over his twin's shoulder, startling Lucinda and making both redheads grin amused.

"We should get going," Fred announced.  
"Have fun with the baking, Malfoy. See you in two days, right Summer?"

The brunette smiled and nodded as Fred waved at her. The oldest redhead steered his twin out of the room, but George stopped halfway and turned back towards Lucinda, who was still watching them and smiled.

"I wasn't flirting," he said.  
"I was making an honest observation."

Fred laughed again when he saw Lucinda blush and pushed George out of the kitchens, who chuckled and pulled Fred along with him. They pushed each other around for a bit longer, both laughing at absolutely nothing before they quieted down again.

"So. What's in two days?" George asked.

"Hogsmeade weekend," Fred replied smug.  
"And my date with Summer Tate."

"Good for you!" George said enthusiastically, clapping his twin on the back.

Fred laughed and gave his brother a wide smirk.

"She suggested asking Destiny Taylor to make it a double date with you, but then we saw you with Malfoy and decided against it."

"Good. Taylor isn't my type," George replied.

"And apparently, Malfoy isn't grandpa's type," Fred hummed.


	31. Dating is Hard Work

"You're all healed up, Mr. Potter," the nurse told him.  
"Now, be sure not to get yourself into trouble again, alright? Take good care of yourself."

Harry smiled at her and nodded.

"I will, thanks," he replied.

The old nurse gave a curt nod and walked away again, leaving Harry on his own. As soon as she was out of sight, Harry's smile fell and he sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. For the first time in his life, Harry wasn't eager to leave the Hospital Wing, in fact, he would gladly stay a bit longer. Like a week, or the whole year… He just couldn't face anyone at the moment. Not when he was still coming to terms with the new information Tom had given him.

Harry slowly made his way over to the door and opened it. He tensed in shock – though he really should have expected it at this point – when he saw Tom leaning against the wall in the hallway. The older teen looked up at Harry and smirked.

"I asked Madam Horn to keep me in the loop on your condition," he said calmly.  
"That woman would do anything for a few compliments and a wrongly guessed age."

Harry rolled his eyes at that last part and started walking away. He needed more time to think, and he couldn't do that with Tom around. He only had taken two steps before an iron grip encased his wrist and he was pulled to a stop again. Growling, Harry turned around.

"Don't touch me!"

Tom scowled and did as he was told for once, though he still glared angrily at Harry.

"What's with you lately?!" Tom hissed annoyed.  
"You've been ignoring me for a full week already and I don't know why!"

Harry narrowed his eyes and glared at his boyfriend.

"You don't know?" the green eyed time-traveller parroted incredulous.  
"Because I've got a piece of soul inside me of the man that killed my parents!"

"I don't see the problem," Tom muttered dryly.

Harry sighed aggravated and drug his hands through his hair, spiking it up even more than usual. He took a few steps away from Tom and turned his back towards the older teen as he tried to contain his anger. He wanted to beat his boyfriend up for not understanding Harry's distress, but that would be counterproductive in this case, no matter how much the bastard deserved it.

"Of course not. Why would there be anything wrong with splitting your soul and shoving it inside a baby," he muttered sarcastically.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and Harry tensed for a moment. With a sigh, he allowed Tom to turn him back around and he looked up at the taller teen, tearful green eyes meeting dark blue.

"Don't be like that, darling. It's actually very sexy," Tom told him smirking, making Harry scowl.

"Says the man who actually does the soul-splitting in the first place," he muttered bitterly.

The way Tom was staring at him was making him uncomfortable. The dark gaze was so intense, it was as if the older teen could look inside his soul – both of them, Harry thought bitterly. Tom chuckled and tightened his hold on Harry's shoulder to near painful.

"The thought of my soul inside of you… Quite intimate, isn't it?" he breathed huskily.  
"I'm actually really jealous of my future self at the moment. To be connected to you like that…"

Harry swallowed nervously. This just couldn't be right.

"… You're insane," he whispered quietly, not knowing if he even wanted Tom to hear him or not.

"And you love me despite that," Tom laughed, leaning in and pecking Harry on the lips.  
"Now get over yourself and go out with me or I'll drag you to Hogsmeade."

Tom grabbed Harry's wrist again and started dragging him through the corridors of the castle and towards the Entrance Hall. The bespectacled teen scowled confused and stopped walking, forcing Tom to do that same. The taller of the two scowled annoyed and looked over at Harry expectantly.

"… Did you just ask me out on a date?" Harry asked.

"Yes, wasn't that obvious?" Tom replied with a roll of his eyes.

He turned away again and pulled Harry along, but Harry dug his heels in the floor. Tom turned to face him again, glaring.

"I won't go until you ask properly," Harry said stubbornly.

"I did ask," Tom growled.  
"Now start walking already."

Harry smirked and shook his head.

"No," he said stubbornly.  
"Ask me nicely, and I might decide to go."

Tom hissed in anger and let go of Harry. Without another word, the older teen turned around and started walking away with long strides. Harry just watched him go and waited. Halfway down the hall, Tom stopped walking again, and Harry had to try to keep a smug grin from forming as Tom turned back to face him.

Tom looked really angry when he walked back towards Harry, but the green eyed wizard wasn't scared. If Tom wanted to hurt him, he'd have done it a long time ago already. He smiled innocently up at Tom as the taller of the two stood before him.

Tom didn't waste any time leaning down and capturing Harry's lips with his own, cradling his head in his hands while Harry's arms wound around his neck and his fingers carded through his hair. Harry's lips parted almost instantly, and Tom let his tongue slide in sensually, gently licking the inside of Harry's mouth before rubbing against the other's tongue and coaxing it into movement. After about a minute, they parted. Tom still held Harry's face in his hands and kept it inches from his own. Their hurried breaths ghosted over each other's lips, making Tom smile minutely.

"Please go out with me?" he whispered teasingly.

Harry gave a shuddering breath and nodded his head silently, staring in awe at Tom, who smirked and stepped away from the younger teen. He grabbed Harry's hand in his own and started walking again. This time, Harry followed without complaint.

"Just so you know, I'm not putting out on the first date," Harry commented.  
"That's at least date three, and you better make it bloody romantic too."

"As long as I know there will be more dates after this one, I'll do what I can to make you feel like a prince," Tom replied.

"Does that make you my princess, then?" Harry asked teasingly.

No reply came, only a long-suffering sigh that made Harry laugh.

. . . . .

"Who's paying?" Harry asked as Tom led him into the Three Broomsticks.

"You, of course," Tom replied.  
"I don't have any money, remember?"

Harry scowled in thought at that.

"So… you asked me out, but now I'm taking you out?" he asked confused.

"No. I'm taking you out, but you're paying me for it," Tom answered flippantly.

Harry stopped moving and smirked at Tom, who looked back at him in frustration. After seeing Harry's expression, his frustration turned into wary curiosity.

"Like an escort?" Harry asked teasingly.

"Don't make me regret this relationship."

Harry chuckled and wanted to reply, but a surprised call of his name had him look over to his friends.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled, walking up.

"Hermione… and Alphard! Hey…" he greeted smiling.  
"I guess you two are on a date too?"

"Double date!" Megan said, joining in along with Ron.

Harry smiled when he saw the second duo's entwined fingers. They were really great for each other. And he was pretty happy Ron finally got over his crush on Hermione. He loved both his friends dearly, but they were just too different.

"Maybe we can join?" Harry suggested.

"No," Tom denied immediately.

Harry frowned and looked over.

"Why not?" he asked confused.

"Because you've been ignoring me for the longest time and you are making it up to me."

"Well, I've been ignoring my friends to, so I'll make it up to all of you at the same time!" Harry grinned.

Tom scowled, making Harry grin innocently at him. Tom gave a sigh in defeat. He glared at Harry, who just grinned wider and grabbed his boyfriend's hand as he dragged him over to the table where his friends were already seated all with their butter beers. Tom and Harry ordered their own drinks.

"So, what have I missed?" Harry asked.

"Oh, Harry! It was so interesting!" Hermione started off immediately.  
"Professor Binns still teaches about so many subjects in History! Yesterday, he gave a lecture about-"

"Harry asked about exciting things, Hermione," Ron stopped her, grinning.

"You're still taught by Binns 50 years from now?!" Alphard asked shock at the same time.  
"But the man is ancient! Shouldn't he be dead for a long time already in your time?"

"As a ghost. He just woke up one day and left his body behind in the teacher's lounge," Harry shrugged.

"When you think about it, it's typical for Professor Binns," Tom chuckled.  
"His job is his life. It would seem it will continue to be so even in death."

Just then, the front door of the pub opened and Ginny and Dimitri walked in. Their eyes widened, and so did Harry's. He stood up, his mouth agape as he stared at the redheaded duo standing in the entrance.

"Don't just stand there and let the cold in," Tom called out bored.  
"It seems we're holding a multi date over here. We have room for two more, I'm sure."

Ginny blushed as Dimitri shivered in fear at the cold stare Tom gave them. Still he ushered Ginny over and pulled a chair back for her next to Ron and across from Harry. Harry was still staring at the two newcomers in pure shock.

"You and Dimitri… Really?!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"What about it?" Dimitri asked offended, glaring at Harry.

"You two hated each other last time I saw you!"

Tom laughed and patted Harry's head in a condescending manner.

"Didn't you know? The Lestranges don't grow up, ever. I think they might be related to Peter Pan," he said.  
"They woo like ten year olds who still believe in cooties. I remember Ravina used to spill her drink in Abraxas' lap and tell everyone he peed himself… she was 13."

"Hey! I'm not that bad…" Dimitri muttered blushing, making the others all laugh.

"Nicolas is still pulling Julia Rowle's braids," Alphard butted in smirking.  
"I saw him do it just last week. And that while we all know he _asked_ for her contract just last summer!"

The banter went on for a while longer. They talked, laughed and drunk butter beer for about two hours before they decided to leave again. Ron and Megan planned to visit the Quidditch supply shop, and Ginny and Dimitri had decided to join them while Alphard and Hermione would be doing some window shopping.

"You're welcome to come with us," Hermione told Harry with a smile.

"No need. I want to have some alone time with Tom for a bit," Harry replied.  
"He was right you know. It's our first date and I've barely given him any attention."

Tom chuckled and embraced Harry from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder.

"Of course I'm right," he scoffed in Harry's ear.  
"I've been attention deprived for the longest time! I'm like a cute little puppy who needs to be loved and adored very regularly."

Harry rolled his eyes and shook the older teen off.

"Then I should take you for a walk," Harry said laughing.

. . . . .

"The Shrieking Shack was actually a home once?!" Harry asked shocked as he stared to the small cottage.

Tom gave him a weird look before looking back over to the house.

"The Shrieking Shack? Is that what they call it in your time?" he asked curiously.  
"The owner was Silvanus Carter. An old man who couldn't even take proper care of himself. He died four years ago of bad health. His son and daughter came by to collect anything of value. Apparently, they came running out screaming, horrified of the filth in there. It's cleaned up now and has become the favourite make-out spot for most students."

Harry grinned at that and grabbed Tom's arm, dragging him towards the house.

"I want to see how much has changed!" he said eagerly.

When they almost reached the house, Harry stopped walking and his eyes widened in surprise. On the old, rusty bench in front of the house sat Lucinda Malfoy with one of the Weasley Twins. As the redhead looked up, Harry smiled and waved in greeting.

"Harry!" the older teen shouted, waving back.  
"Coming to make use of the 'Love Shack' too?"

Lucinda blushed like mad and bumped her shoulder into the redhead's.

"We aren't, by the way. Fred and Summer are," she said quickly.  
"We're just here as friends. Septimus knows and he's alright with it."

George's expression darkened at the mention of Septimus, and Harry understood why. Knowing what he would do, it was hard not to dislike the Weasley's future grandfather for his upcoming infidelity. Harry supposed they should be happy at least that Lucinda would find out before she married Septimus, and not after.

"In that case, maybe we should go say hi!" Harry said cheerfully.

He grabbed Tom's arm again and pulled him into the house, followed by George's roaring laughter.

"I doubt our interruption will be received positively," Tom chuckled.

"You want to turn back?" Harry shot back teasingly.

In reply, Harry was suddenly pushed into a side room. He gave a surprised yelp, but was quickly shut up when Tom's hand pressed over his mouth. Dark eyes glittered mischievously, making Harry blush at the intensity of the hungry gaze on him.

"I can think of a better way to waste our time, darling," Tom purred.

He removed his hand, but before Harry could make a noise, his mouth was claimed by soft lips. Tom's lips parted slightly and his tongue came out to lick at Harry's lips. He parted them immediately and met Tom's wet tongue with his own, letting them rub and slide around together.

Harry's hands moved up to wound around Tom's neck and one of his hands slid into Tom's hair, pulling at it gently. Tom's hands placed themselves on Harry's hips and pulled them closer together. Harry moaned into his mouth in pleasure as his half-hard rubbed against Tom's thigh.

"Looks like it's getting hot in here."

The two disconnected in shock and Harry looked over where Fred and a girl with long brown hair and twinkling forest green eyes watched them amused. Harry blushed and took a step away from Tom, but the other didn't let go of him and just ground their hips together while staring Fred down.

"Do you mind?" he asked calmly.

Fred raised an amused brow and kept standing in the doorway, with Summer Tate resting her forehead on his shoulder, her entire frame trembling with suppressed laughter.

"Not at all. Go ahead," Fred replied pleasantly.

Harry rolled his eyes and tried to step back, only to bump into the wall. Tom gave a predatory grin and closed in again, latching his lips onto Harry's throat, sucking softly at the skin. Harry moaned quietly and grabbed Tom's hair, unsure whether to push him away or pull him in. One glance towards Fred, who was still grinning amused had him decide on the first. Tom didn't let go and instead bit Harry's collarbone harshly, making the younger teen squeak in slight pain.

"I-I'm surrounded by bloody p-perverts!" Harry gasped out.

The only reply he received was a chuckle rumbling through his body from Tom's as the other licked the sore spot. He could hear Summer Tate let out a loud bark of laughter, but he was too embarrassed to open his eyes again and look at her.

"Let's leave the lovebirds, Fred," the girl chuckled before Harry could hear a door fall closed.

Harry sighed in relief and relaxed more in Tom's hold, moaning softly as his neck and face was peppered by butterfly kisses. Sick of this being a one-sided thing, Harry grabbed Tom's shoulders and pressed their lips together again in another passionate kiss.


	32. How to Save a Life

Hermione couldn't help her gaze always sliding back to the pendant around her neck. A gift from Alphard when they had gone on that double date turned multi date a few days ago. She looked at the other side of the classroom, where Alphard was sitting next to Rosier, his dark eyes staring right back at her in a hungry gaze that made her blush and she quickly refocussed on Professor Merrythought.

Class was certainly interesting. They were learning about Vampire factions and their own politics. Who knew Vampires were that organized? With a bright smile, she turned to Octavian, to comment to him on something in the explanation on Vampire elders and their relation to their 'children', but stilled when she saw the far off, melancholic expression on the auburn haired boy. He'd been very quiet and tense for a pretty long while now. Since around the time the Chamber was opened, if Hermione remembered correctly. But at this point, the Chamber was closed again, and Hagrid had been expelled after Tom turned the blame on him. Hermione, just like the others, had been very upset, but there was nothing she could do about it.

When class ended, she grabbed Octavian's arm before the other could leave. The boy turned to her, brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at Hermione.

"Are you ok, Octavian?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," the boy lied in a soft voice.

He tried to pull his arm free, but Hermione stubbornly held onto him with a scowl. There was clearly something off with him. Octavian was never very outgoing, but when just around her or Myrtle, he was very cheerful and could talk for hours about his passions. The boy was usually bright and attentive, yet the last few weeks, he was too drawn into himself, always with his mind somewhere else entirely.

"Are you sure? You don't look fine to me."

This made Octavian frown and he roughly pulled himself free.

"I said I'm fine, Hermione," he said harshly.  
"Just leave me alone already, alright?"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back. She wanted to say something else, ask him if there was anything she could do to make him feel better or tell him he could always tell her anything that bothered him, but stopped when someone put a hand under her chin and turned her head. Hermione's eyes widened again when her lips were softly kissed and she pulled back to see Alphard grinning down at her.

"Hello, Love!" her boyfriend greeted cheerfully.

Hermione blushed and looked back over to Octavian, only to find he had taken the opportunity to flee. Hermione scowled. She'd catch up to him in Charms and make him talk then.

"Fascinating subject, Vampires," Tom spoke up as he and Harry approached them.

The others, meaning Megan, Michael and Avery, followed the two dark haired boys as well.

"What did you think, Hermione?" the young Dark Lord asked pleasantly.  
"I'd love to swap notes sometime. Especially before OWL's. I might have missed something when trying to help Harry hold his attention."

Harry's face turned bright red and he slapped the back of Tom's head.

"That was not trying to help me, Tom! That was distracting me!"

The others laughed and Hermione smiled. She really didn't want to know exactly what Tom had done to distract Harry, but she could make a few guesses. With the way Michael and Avery wiggled their brows and whistled, they clearly could imagine it too. It did nothing but make Harry blush harder.

"I'd love to compare notes with you, Tom!" Hermione said smiling.  
"Though I really doubt I'll have anything on there you don't know yet. I won't miss out on an opportunity to snuff through yours."

"Like either of you need the extra study hours," Harry scoffed.  
"You'd better help me a bit with Charms or Potions! _I_ don't have straight O's."

"You're smart enough to get them if you applied yourself," Hermione scoffed.  
"Honestly, I hoped that being around Tom would maybe motivate you, but it seems I was wrong."

"I really tried," Tom sighed in faux disappointment.

"No you didn't!" Harry exclaimed, turning even redder.  
"You did… THAT… to me yesterday when you promised to help me study!"

"That?" Tom asked innocently.  
"You mean when I pushed you down and-"

"Okay! We need to get to our next class!" Harry said hurried.

"I need to go too, catch up to Octavian," Hermione said sighing.

Harry stopped pushing Tom out the door and tensed. Slowly, he turned around to face Hermione, with eyes wide in worry.

"When was it again that he's…" he started softly.

Hermione frowned in thought. It was supposed to happen about halfway through the year if she remembered it right, but the real date was slipping her mind… no, no she remembered it was… Her eyes widened in horror and she faced Harry.

"Today," she whispered.

. . . . .

Octavian had chosen to sit in the far back of the classroom, much to Hermione's shock and annoyance. He usually sat all the way in front and far away from Hornby and her gang. Most of the time, he was joined by either Lewis Young or Lyall Lupin while she sat with Ron on the table next to them. This time, no one had chosen to sit with him, so she walked over with purposeful strides.

She was pulled in a chair a few tables away from Octavian though, by a widely grinning Ron. She looked over again, hoping she could still make it next to Octavian, but her spot was already taken by a Gryffindor girl she didn't know the name of.

"Everything alright?" Ron asked.

"Today is the day," Hermione breathed.

She was still watching Octavian with wide, worried eyes. Ron scowled in confusion and waved his hand in front of Hermione's face, trying to get her attention.

"What's today?" he asked confused.

"Octavian."

Ron's frown deepened as he tried to figure out what she meant. He glanced over to Octavian as well, who was doing his best not to meet their eyes as he stared down at the desk. For a few moments longer, he was completely silent, but then, it seemed to hit him and his blue eyes widened in horror as he looked back at Hermione.

"You-you mean today he's…" he asked.

Hermione nodded gravely and looked back to the front of the class, just as the teacher walked in. for the entirety of the class, Hermione kept half an eye on Octavian while furiously writing her notes. Ron didn't even bother with listening to the Charms Professor and just watched Octavian the entire time. Hermione was sure her friend was making at least a few students uncomfortable with his blatant staring.

Finally, class was over. Hermione and Ron quickly packed their stuff together and turned to leave. However, in her hurry, Hermione hadn't seen the Gryffindor girl approached and she bumped into her, which caused her to drop all of her books. The girl dropped on one knee and next to Hermione.

"I'm so sorry!" she said.  
"I just wanted to talk to Ron."

"What is it, Leila?" Ron asked confused, crouching down with the two girls to help them pick up Hermione's stuff.

The girl straightened up again and blushed a bit. Hermione and the girl, Leila stood as well. All her books had been packed again, and as the brunette looked around the room, she found that Octavian was long gone.

"Well, I saw you staring at me all through class…" Leila mumbled blushing.  
"An-and I wanted to let you know that I like you too, so…"

Ron reeled back in surprise and looked towards Hermione in hopes to find some help there, but his fake twin had already left. Swallowing nervously, Ron looked back to Leila, wondering how he could let her down gently…

Meanwhile, Hermione had run into the hall, looking around frantically to see if she could find Octavian. If only her books had information on when he'd jumped. He'd be found in about three hours give or take, but that didn't mean a thing. There was a big chance he jumped earlier.

Maybe she should look for Harry, or Sirius, to help her look for Octavian. But what if he jumped while she was looking for the others? No, best she could do was go up to the Astronomy Tower and wait for him there. It was better than risk missing him.

"Hermione!"

Hermione slowed down and looked over, sighing in annoyance when she saw it was Myrtle. She cared deeply for the girl and considered her a friend, but she couldn't handle the girl's constant babbling at a crucial moment like this. She had to stay ahead of Octavian.

"Not now, Myrtle," she said.  
"I'm in a hurry."

"Of course you are," the third year sighed dramatically.  
"No one has ever time for silly, ugly me!"

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes and started walking again.

"I just wanted to ask what's wrong with Octavian," Myrtle muttered.

Hermione tensed, her eyes widening. She turned around quickly and grabbed the younger girl by her arms, shaking the wide eyed girl.

"You saw Octavian?! When? Where?!"

"J-just a few minutes ago, on his way to the Astronomy Tower," Myrtle stuttered.

The older girl's eyes widened and she gasped in horror as she let go of Myrtle again.

"I can't be too late!" the exclaimed as she took off running towards the Tower.

Myrtle frowned in confusion and quickly followed after her.

"Late for what? What's going on Hermione!" she called.

Hermione ignored the question and kept running. She had to get there in time! The boy had already a head start of several minutes, he could have already jumped at this point! Hermione didn't know what she would do with herself if she failed Octavian. She had known this day would come, but with everything else happening, she had pushed it to the back of her mind, and now, she might be too late to help the poor boy. If only she had kept her mind on the important things instead of getting swept away by Alphard…

The two girls stormed up the stairs of the Tower as fast as they could, Myrtle still calling worriedly after Hermione while the older girl just focused on getting up there in time. When she burst through the door, she found Octavian standing in front of the rails, staring down with tears streaming down his face. Hermione stopped walking and stared worriedly at the boy.

"Herm-…" Myrtle came in calling, only to stop dead in her tracks as she saw the boy.

"Go away," Octavian whispered hoarsely.

"No," Hermione said resolutely, stepping up to the boy.  
"We're here to help you, Octavian. You can talk to us."

"Yeah? Where were you when Jason Sutton and Johnathan Selwyn turned my bed into a mud bad and threw my books in it with me?" Octavian asked bitterly.  
"Or when Olive Hornby tripped me on the stairs and told everyone I couldn't walk? I had to go to the nurses office with a broken wrist and everyone just laughed! Where you helping me when Hannah Wilkes locked me inside a broom closet for three hours?!"

Hermione's eyes widened. The past few months had been so busy, with Tom and the Chamber and dating Alphard that she hadn't paid attention to Octavian at all. When she heard about all these, she regretted not being there for the boy.

"What about when I told Olive to stop teasing you, and she stole my glasses instead?" Myrtle shot back angrily.  
"She broke them under her foot, but you didn't help me then either. Or when I finally found you in that closet. Did you thank me? Are you there when the 7th year Slytherin guys chase me?"

"We'll talk to Tom!" Hermione said.  
"The Slytherins will listen to him, and maybe he can do something about Hornby and her lot too!"

"Since when does Riddle care what happens to us?" Octavian asked bitterly.

"Tom cares!" Myrtle argued.  
"He is always nice to me!"

Somehow, Hermione doubted that Tom cared about anyone but himself and Harry, but since he did love Harry, she knew she could persuade him in helping her. Harry hated bullying, and if he could stop it, it would be stopped. He was probably already explaining the situation to Tom and the others.

"He'll listen to me," she said determined.  
"Just… don't kill yourself. I know it'll get better."

Myrtle's eyes widened in shock at that, while Octavian scowled at Hermione.

"How'd you even know? I hadn't made up my mind yet," he said.

Hermione faltered and she frowned in thought. She had to quickly come up with something, before they'd get suspicious, however, before she could, Myrtle seemed to change the subject on her own.

"Hermione, what would you say if I told you Harry has bullied me before?" she asked.

"I'd say it's not possible," Hermione replied.  
"He knows how terrible it is to be teased and bullied. He'd never hurt anyone like that. Not on purpose."

"So he wouldn't lie to me, trying to make me look crazy?" she asked again, eyes narrowing.

"Definitely not!" Hermione denied, remembering how Harry had been called crazy by the Ministry right before they'd left their own time.

"So… If Harry spoke the truth, and since everyone always tells me Tom doesn't…" Myrtle started thoughtfully.  
"Hermione… If that's true, then from how far in the future did you come? How far have you travelled through time to get here?"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock at those words. People rarely gave Myrtle any credit, since she was such a dreamer and naïve. As a muggleborn, she often still struggled with magic, and as such wasn't getting very good grades, but she was observant and very smart. No wonder she already figured it out.

"That's insane. Time travel is impossible," Octavian told the younger girl.  
"Tell her, Hermione. You're just a cousin from Europe. That's all."

"I-I…" Hermione stuttered.

She sighed and drug her hands over her face. The Slytherins all knew already, so what was the harm in telling these two if it meant keeping Octavian alive for a while longer?

"If I tell you anything, you have to swear not to tell anyone," she said eventually.  
"Tom and a few others already know, but we can't really do what we came to do if everyone knows who we are."

Octavian's eyes widened in shock while Myrtle just grinned widely in victory. Hermione heaved another sigh and sat down. The other two followed her example and sunk down on the floor with her, both staring at her expectantly as they nodded in agreement.

"We promise!" Myrtle exclaimed eagerly.

Octavian nodded again, his expression unreadable.

"Alright. Well, here we go I guess," Hermione mumbled.  
"My name is Hermione Granger, and I'm born on September 19, 1979…"


	33. Morsmordre

"You shouldn't have told them," Tom muttered, glaring at Hermione.

"Well, I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" Hermione shot back angrily.  
"I would have tried to give them an excuse, but Myrtle already laid a connection."

Harry, who had been silently laughing next to Tom suddenly tensed, eyes wide as he stared at Tom.

"I thought you would take care of Myrtle!" he accused the other boy.

"I did!" Tom argued.

"He did," Hermione agreed smirking.  
"He told her that you were pranking her."

"At least make the excuse believable!" Harry groaned.

"How should I know it wasn't?!" Tom snapped back.  
"In fact, how should she know? I barely knew you at the time!"

"Alright, what do we do now?" Fred asked.  
"Two more people know the secret."

"As long as they don't tell anyone, I don't see the problem," Hermione replied.

"You know what is a problem though? Leaving me alone with bloody Leila Singer!"

Hermione looked over at Ron, who was red-faced and scowling while next to him, Megan was trying to keep from laughing. The same was true for Ginny, the twins, Alphard and Sirius. There entire group sat together in the Room of Requirement, which Tom had shown them to use as a meeting place for all of them who knew the truth about Harry and his friends. It already was a pretty big group. All of Tom's 'followers' and all the Blacks (aside from Cedrella) who didn't follow him too.

The room itself had moulded to Tom's will, and that was overly obvious. The grey stone walls and high arch and the large, polished black table with him on one side at the head and Sirius on the opposite side. Harry sat on his right and Alphard to his left, with Hermione next to him and Ron on Harry's other side.

"Oh hush Ron! It couldn't have been so bad!" Hermione scolded.

"Not been so bad?! She tried to hex me after I told her I wasn't interested!" Ron exclaimed.  
"Lyall got angry that I chose a Slytherin over 'one of my own'! Half of my dorm mates and most of the girls call me a traitor!"

"Welcome to my world," Harry muttered.  
"Most Gryffindors already call me such because I'm from a Light family sorted in the so called 'Dark' House."

"To be fair, very little Light witches and wizards end up with us," Avery muttered.

"How about we focus on the fact that Granger screwed up?" Nicolas asked smirking.  
"It makes me feel good about myself, reminds me she's a mere mortal like the rest of us and that Tom might actually be one too."

Tom glared at the older teen, while Harry snorted amused. Nicolas' smirk disappeared seconds later and he yelped at the sudden stinging hex he received from his Lord under the chuckles of nearly everyone there.

"Just so you know, _I_ didn't mess up!" Hermione argued red-faced.

"I guess Harry and I can be blamed for that," Sirius admitted.  
"We really shouldn't have talked in the library."

"And your very mortal leader could have done a better job in giving Myrtle an excuse," Harry added smirking, dodging another stinging hex with a laugh.

"Don't blame your own carelessness on me," Tom scolded frowning.  
"If you had been more careful, not even any of us would have figured it out."

"Are you saying I could possibly have outsmarted you?" Harry teased.

"Hypothetically."

. . . . .

They had all left for breakfast after Tom's 'emergency meeting' and would soon split up for the Hogsmeade day. Harry was pretty excited, since Tom had told him he had planned out a romantic date, and the Twins would be hanging out with Lucinda, Summer, Ravina, Cedrella, Lucretia, Destiny Tailor and the Prewett brothers. Nicolas and Mulciber wouldn't be joining at all, since they both had detention with Dumbledore for something that had happened during class the other day.

Harry was pretty sure he had heard all the others had planned a picnic together and they had even invited Myrtle and Octavian to join. He was glad that everything seemed to go right again, but he also knew not to let his guard down. With his kind of luck, something was bound to happen again soon.

"Relax a bit, Love. I won't lure you somewhere you don't want to go," Tom told him, mistakenly believing that was why Harry looked tense.

In reality, Harry just had the horrid feeling something bad was going to happen. Not wanting to worry Tom, he shook the feeling off and smiled at Tom.

"How can I be sure of that?" he asked teasingly.  
"Who knows. Maybe you secretly are a sexual predator who's after my virginity."

Tom levelled him a deadpan stare.

"I'm a predator, yes, but not only sexual. And I am planning to one day have your virginity," he agreed.

Harry blushed and his mouth snapped shut at that, making Tom chuckle and smirk at him.

"Don't worry, darling. When it happens, you'll be the one to give it to me more than willing."

Harry laughed at that and allowed Tom to take his hand and lead him to a small restaurant in a far corner of the village. Harry expected he'd have to pay again, but to his surprise, Tom told him he had it covered.

"I have certain ways to get money," he said casually.

Harry scowled at that, but refrained from asking Tom what those ways were. He probably didn't want to know the answer anyway.

After the dinner, Tom took him out for a walk behind the village, at the foot of the mountains. There was a beautiful open field there, surrounded on one side by the mountains, a forest to another and Hogsmeade at the last.

Harry smiled and sat down, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face as he looked up. Tom chuckled and sat down next to him. For the longest time, they just sat there, talking about nothing in particular or just looking up at the sky saying nothing at all.

"Do you miss it?" Tom suddenly blurted out.  
"Your old life I mean, the one in the future."

"My entire life existed out of staying out of the hands of a madman and playing Quidditch with my friends," Harry chuckled.  
"The second one I can still do here, but at least I don't need to fear for my life every few days."

His smile faltered and he frowned a bit as he thought a bit deeper.

"I do miss some people though. Like Remus. He used to be my Defence teacher in 3rd year, and a close friend of my parents along with Sirius," he added.  
"Honestly, I have no idea why we never asked him to come with. And then there are Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They always made me feel like part of the family… And my own, Hedwig. I wanted to bring her, but Hermione said that no one knew how animals would react to time-travel, and that it could potentially be really dangerous."

He paused again and a soft, nostalgic smile took over his features.

"She was my first real friend," he said.  
"I birthday present from Hagrid when I turned 11."

"You really cared for that man, didn't you?" Tom asked frowning.

"Hagrid? Yes, I did. He was the one to tell me about magic," Harry replied.

Tom snorted and looked away. He lay on his back again and stared at the sky with a deep frown marring his handsome features.

"I bet that half-giant was more gentle breaking it to you than Dumbledore did it with me," he muttered.

"He bent my uncle's hunting rifle and gave my cousin a pig-tail!" Harry laughed.  
"It was the happiest day of my life, finding out about magic, knowing I would belong somewhere."

"I agree," Tom said, before everything else Harry had said registered and he sat back up.  
"I thought you lived with Black? He is your Godfather, isn't he? Shouldn't he have explained magic to you?"

Harry's face darkened at that.

"Sirius spend 12 years in Azkaban after my parents died," he replied in an emotionless, cold voice.  
"Falsely accused and imprisoned without a trial. I lived with my mum's muggle sister and her husband and son."

The detached tone made something in Tom's chest tighten in familiarity. His frown deepened and he stared at Harry.

"Did they abuse you?" he asked softly.

Harry tensed, but he didn't reply. Tom could feel his anger rising and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"That's my second free question, Harry," he said.

Harry's head shot up and his bright, killing curse green eyes stared into Tom's dark blue ones.

"You really like asking the hard questions, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"The hard ones are also the important ones," Tom told him.

Harry gave a soft chuckle and laid down on his back as he stared at a single white cloud sliding past. It was surprisingly sunny for May.

"I wouldn't go as far as say they abused me," he started slowly.  
"They just… they hated me… for being different and for being forced on them. My cousin liked to beat me up, sure, but that was him being a bully, and the only times Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia hit me was when I misbehaved. They made me do a lot of chores, 'to pay them back for all the money they had to waste on me'."

He laughed at himself at that and gave Tom a cheeky grin.

"I never really understood that," he admitted with a shrug.  
"I only got Dudley's old clothes, and I barely ate at all. Only after they were done, and only leftovers. Ironic, really that I had to cook while I wasn't allowed to eat it."

"Harry," Tom said darkly, his face looking like a terrible storm coming up.  
"That is _exactly_ what abuse is. Beatings or no. Starvation, child labour, emotional abuse,… the first two are understandable in an orphanage with no money to support itself, but your family could at least afford food, didn't they?"

"Considering both my uncle and my cousin were heavily obese, yes," Harry said frowning.  
"But what could they do? They never wanted me in the first place. It's not their fault I was left at their doorstep."

"Then who left you there?" Tom wanted to know.

"Dumbledore. But only because it was necessary," Harry answered.  
"after my mother's sacrifice, being with a relative would keep the blood wards up and they would keep me safe."

Tom sighed heavily and leaned over Harry, his face sad and worried, a combination that made Harry frown.

"How much did Voldemort ruin your life?" he whispered.

Harry smiled.

"That's what happens in a war, Tom," he replied just as soft.

Their peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted by a loud, horrified scream that Harry immediately recognise. He sat up so quick, Tom was barely able to get out of the way before they'd have bumped heads. He scowled and scrambled up as Harry jumped to his feet and ran off.

They found a crowd not far off, and Harry quickly elbowed his way through to get to his friend while Tom stayed behind a bit longer, staring wide eyed at the sky. Hermione had her face buried in Alphard's chest and Ron and Megan were standing next to them along with Ginny, Dimitri, Dolohov, Nott, Avery and Michael. In front of all them, leaning against the wall of the Three Brooms, was the dead body of Leila Singer.

"Merlin…" Harry whispered shocked.  
"Just… How?... Who?... I don't…"

"We found her like that when we walked out of the Broomsticks," Michael said weakly.

"Harry," Tom said softly as he walked up next to Harry.  
"Do you know the mark in the sky?"

Harry's eyes widened and he looked up along with the rest of their group. When he saw it, horror gripped his mind in an iron hold and he started trembling. Hermione gasped in terror at the sight and Ron cursed softly.

"The Dark Mark," Ginny whispered softly.

* * *

 **Since I was hit by some inspiration, I'm posting two chaps today!**


	34. Starting Summer

Harry still held his grade card in hand even as he situated himself with his friends in the train. He'd done great. All E's, except for Astronomy which was an A and Defence Against the Dark Arts and Care for Magical Creatures, which he had scored O's. Harry was pretty proud of himself, since he knew of only two who'd done better than him in their year: Hermione and, top of their year in every class, Tom of course.

Tom had all O's and could take any NEWT class he felt like taking while Hermione had a single E in Arithmancy, but still was number two, followed, Harry thought, by Octavian, Coral Rudderfort and Rosetta Diggory to make up the top 5. After seeing the list, Harry was pretty proud of himself for having scored 7th best in their year, right after Ellis Sandberg and before Lyall Lupin, who was the first Gryffindor in the list. The others in the top 10 were John Abbot and Clara Weasley.

Ron was being very disgruntled about only having placed 21st and kept complaining about how Harry had allowed himself to be 'converted' by Tom and Hermione, which only caused Hermione to scold him more for slacking so much while praising Harry for finally getting his priorities straight.

The others had all done pretty great as well. Ginny was number 11 in her own year and Fred and George were numbers 15 and 16 with each a total of 6 NEWT's. They both could have done better, but they'd been having far too much fun playing pranks to bother with homework.

Right now, though, he was a little less than happy with the conversation his friends were holding.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't Tom!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Then how do you explain the Dark Mark?!" Ginny hissed back.  
"Four people died in the past month, Harry. And three of them were students!"

"I don't know," Harry confessed scowling.  
"But it wasn't Tom! He was with me for two of the murders!"

"He could have had some of his Death Eaters do it for him," Fred suggested.

"Nicolas Lestrange for example," George agreed readily.  
"Didn't Hermione read he'd kill his own brother for Tom?"

"Nicolas is a good guy. He won't kill anyone," Harry argued.  
"And neither would Tom. At least not without a good reason."

"Love makes blind, mate," Ron told him shrugging.

Harry gave an aggravated groan and buried his face in his hands. Hermione sighed and smiled weakly at him.

"We all want to believe Tom is innocent, Harry," she told him softly.  
"But you have to admit it's all very convenient, isn't it? Maybe we've been underestimating him."

"It's not Tom," Harry grumbled stubbornly, glaring at the brunette.

"Alright, I trust you," Ron replied grinning, stretching out.  
"I don't trust Tom, but if you say it's not him, then it isn't."

Harry smiled gratefully at his best friend and wanted to thank him when the door to their compartment opened and Alphard's head popped in. The dark haired teen grinned widely when he saw Hermione and stepped in, planting a smacking kiss on his girlfriend's cheek and making the brunette giggle a bit.

"Hello, beautiful!" Alphard greeted.  
"And others of course."

Megan leaned in too, along with Dimitri and Nicolas.

"Cosy," she said.  
"Mind if we join?"

"Go ahead. George and I were just leaving anyway," Fred told her.

He and his twin got up and after a short goodbye to their friends and siblings, were off to find Summer and her friends. Nicolas and Dimitri gladly took their place while Megan planted herself right on Ron's lap, making the others laugh.

"I should be off to find Tom," Harry murmured.

"He's usually in the back of the train," Alphard told him.  
"He always isolates himself during the ride back to King's Cross."

Harry scowled and nodded before taking off. He knew that Tom didn't like the orphanage, so it wasn't a big stretch that he would hide to mentally prepare, or wallow in self-pity. Both were possibilities with Tom.

Like Alphard had said, Harry found Tom hidden behind a door with a strong locking charm in the very last compartment of the train. He scowled a bit at that. Maybe Tom wouldn't want his company? He shrugged his uncertainty off and knocked. If Tom wanted to be alone, he'd tell Harry, and then he would go back to the others. At least if he was sure that was exactly what Tom wanted. He'd gotten pretty good in recognizing Tom's lies over the past year. At least he thought so.

"Tom? It's me. Can I come in?" he called out.

For a second, it looked like the door would stay closed, but then he heard a soft click and it opened. Tom glanced through the opening and frowned.

"I thought you were with your friends," he said.

"It got too crowded," Harry replied grinning.  
"And I wanted to come thank you for your great help this year. I've never before scored this high on my exams."

He could see Tom's lips twitch at that and the older teen stepped aside to let Harry in.

"That's because you never bothered to try before," Tom pointed out.  
"Hermione was right. You have a lot of potential if you just apply yourself."

"Or I have a genius boyfriend who doesn't mind tutoring me," Harry teased.

"That too," Tom agreed with a chuckle.

Harry laughed and sat down on one of the seats while Tom took the one opposite from him. Harry looked at the older boy with a fond smile. Tom had already changed out of his school robes and was now wearing a plain ash grey woollen vest with a white shirt underneath and grey pants. It was simple, but Tom somehow made it look charming and sophisticated.

"Do they still suspect me?" Tom asked suddenly.

Harry's face melted and he scowled.

"I told them it's not you," he said.

Tom hummed.

"But they don't believe you."

"They will. Eventually," Harry shrugged.  
"It's stupid that they think it's you. You were with me almost all the time."

"But they think I somehow tricked you, is that it?" Tom asked, still completely calm.  
"It's supposed to be my Mark after all, so who else could it have been but me?"

"We never figured out how you came to the idea of the Dark Mark," Harry argued.  
"Maybe you've seen it from someone else. Or maybe someone designed it for you?"

Tom raised a brow and smirked.

"Do I look like someone who needs help with such things?" he asked teasingly.

Harry rolled his eyes and send his boyfriend a mock glare.

"I'm trying to defend you, Tom. Work with me," he scolded.

Tom laughed softly, making Harry's heart flutter with joy. At least he was able to take Tom's mind off the orphanage for a while. He smiled when he saw Tom look at him, and the older teen smiled back.

"You should probably change as well," Tom told him.  
"We'll be arriving shortly, and you don't want to meet with the Blacks in school rags."

Harry shrugged but did as Tom said and took his trunk off the luggage rack to fish out some proper age-appropriate clothes. A nice set of robes in the current fashion, which he had bought last summer together with Sirius, Ron and the twins. Hermione and Ginny had gone shopping on their own that day and had returned with just as many bags for just the two of them as all the guys had together.

"You probably should leave the train separately from me as well," Tom drawled.  
"Lest they'd think you're friends with a mudblood. That's probably worse than wearing rags."

"You're a half-blood," Harry pointed out dryly.  
"And we're _dating._ I'm not going to hide that."

Tom laughed and leaned in to peck Harry's lips softly.

"You're so adorable and stupid," he teased.  
"You don't want to get on the Blacks' bad side."

"You don't want to be on Voldemort's bad side, and I'm pretty sure he was worse."

. . . . .

When the train finally came to a stop at Platform 9 ¾, Harry and Tom were ready to go. While Tom still insisted they'd leave separately, Harry had stubbornly grabbed his hand and dragged him along. They easily spotter Alphard first, who just kissed Hermione goodbye before he joined his two siblings and Orion, Lucretia and Cedrella. Hermione and the Weasleys would be staying with… the Weasleys.

"Really, Harry. It's fine," Tom tried again.  
"There's probably already a worker of the orphanage waiting for me-…"

"And I bet he can wait a bit longer," Harry cut him off pleasantly as he joined the Black children and Sirius.

He noticed to his surprise that his Godfather seemed very nervous for some reason, and Harry wondered why that was.

"Is Tom joining us as well?" Walburga asked calmly, though Harry still noticed the slight tremor in her voice.

"I just thought your family, who claims to be so Slytherin would like meeting the true Slytherin Heir," Harry replied innocently.

Alphard started grinning widely at that while Tom gave a soft chuckle. Harry had helped Tom find out more about his parents a few months back, after Tom had sworn not to harm his father. They'd found the name Riddle back in some old muggle archives and found out he was actually nobility, while they also found Tom was indeed descendant of Slytherin as well. Marvolo was a Gaunt name, and since the last known Gaunt named Marvolo was currently in Azkaban after attacking a muggle and he indeed had a daughter who disappeared a year before Tom was born, it was obvious she was his mother.

"And here we were all worrying about my blood status and lack of money," he said.  
"All the while, you just look past that, as if it doesn't matter in the slightest."

"Trust me," it doesn't matter to us," Sirius said grinning.  
"Especially Harry knows that money and status don't make a person. It's their actions that count."

"If only the world worked like that," Cedrella murmured wistfully.

"Maybe someday, it will," Harry told her smiling.  
"If only we all tried hard enough to achieve it."

"Only the Blacks might lose a lot of their influence in such a case," Orion said wisely.

"Ha! The Blacks are a family of action. We will always pull through," Walburga snorted.

Harry didn't have the heart to disagree. He had seen the sorry state the House of Black would end up in under the reign of Voldemort. But perhaps with no Voldemort to rise, they would do better this time around. He could only hope they would. This generation of the ancient family had really grown on him over the past few months.

"Oh! There's father!" Lucretia exclaimed.  
"And grandfather too. I wonder why he's come."

"Probably to meet with our long lost family," Walburga said.  
"Great-uncle Sirius is the Head of the Family, so it's his duty."

Harry craned his neck to look at the direction everyone was staring and noticed a man that looked an awful lot like Sirius standing next to a tall, grey haired man and a static looking woman with chestnut brown hair. Harry guessed that those were Arcturus Black and his wife Melania and Lord Sirius Black I, his Sirius' grandparents and great-grandfather.

"Scrawny and unclean. You must take after your father, boy," Arcturus Black spoke as soon as his eyes fell on Harry.  
"And while your uncle has the Black features, he looks uncouth. Truly the son of Phineas, then."

Sirius bristled, but he didn't rise to the bait. Harry just gave the man a wide fake smile and inclined his head respectfully, as he had learned he should greet a man of higher status.

"It's an honour to meet you, uncle," he said, using the familiar term just to spite the man.

The woman gave an amused snort as Arcturus' face turned sour. Harry just grinned at him before turning towards Tom and smiling softly at him.

"I promise I come visit soon," he said.  
"When Sirius found a place, you'll be staying with us."

Tom smiled back and nodded in agreement.

"And who might the mudblood be?" Arcturus sneered.

Tom's eye twitched a bit at the insult, but he hid it under a mask of polite friendliness as he inclined his head in greeting, just like Harry had done earlier.

"I'm Tom Riddle, a friend of your son," he introduced himself.  
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Lord Black, Mr. and Mrs. Black."

"Never heard that name before," Arcturus sniffed aggressively.

"My mother was a Gaunt."

That had the expected effect of throwing all three adults off. Three sets of eyes widened comically at these words, and Harry could clearly see the old man's interest was piqued.

"It's true, Tom is a Parselmouth," Alphard cut in grinning.  
"We've heard him speak it in the common room before, and the snakes answer him."

"A true Slytherin heir, how extraordinary," Melania Black gasped.

"And your father, boy?" Arcturus asked.

"He is a rich muggle, and while he now refuses me, I am his legal heir also, since he and my mother were indeed married, even if he wants to deny it."

"Half-blood then," the man hissed viciously.

Tom chuckled amused at the last desperate attempt to paint him in a lesser light. His claim was laid, and both he and Harry knew that few would care about his father's side of his heritage once they knew his mother's. Of course, many, like Arcturus Black would hate him for being of such ancient and powerful lineage while of such poor blood, but luckily for them, Lord Black was not one of those people. Sensing he was done, Tom nodded at Harry and his other schoolmates before smiling at the three Blacks.

"It was an honour meeting you all, Lord Black, Mr. and Mrs. Black," Tom said, inclining his head respectfully.  
"But I really must be off. I'm sure that if I stay out much longer, the worker of the orphanage leaves again without me."

"It was a pleasure," Arcturus Black sneered.

"Perhaps, Mr. Riddle, we might be able to call you Lord Slytherin in our next meeting," Lord Black suddenly spoke up.

Everyone tensed, as it were the first words the man had spoken since their arrival. His voice was smooth and deep, soft, yet very clear and Harry was surprised at how youthful the man sounded for his age. If he hadn't seen the man's face yet, Harry would have suspected the voice belonged to a man in his mid-thirties instead of a 65 year-old.

Tom, who had started walking away, had paused again and was now smiling softly at the man, a hand pressed against his chest. He looked down as if shy, and Harry really had to applaud his boyfriend's acting skills for that.

"I'm humbled by your high regard of me, my Lord," Tom said quietly.  
"But I'm afraid I don't yet deserve such a magnificent title. Or if I ever even will."

"Only time can tell us that, young man," Lord Black replied calmly.  
"But I will definitely be watching whatever path you decide to take with great interest."

"Thank you, my Lord," Tom muttered humbly, bowing deep for the old man before he turned on his heels and strode away.

"I would be careful if I were you, father," Arcturus Black said darkly.  
"For all we know he is a simple lying mudblood trying to take our money and our daughters."

"If that is true, he's doing it wrong," Lucretia chuckled.  
"Tom Riddle is Harry's boyfriend. Believe me, if he were interested in me, he would have easily been able to convince me to elope."

Harry had to bite back a snort when he saw the furious and scandalized look on Arcturus' face while his wife burst out laughing. Sirius' grandmother smiled and touched her husband's arm gently.

"The boy is harmless, my Love. Leave him be," she said.  
"Even you have to admit that he is very charming, too much so for a mudblood."

"No matter his blood, his magic was very strong," Lord Black mumbled.  
"I would allow him to marry any Black girl he desires, just to have that sort of magical power in our family."

"But he's mine, so you can't," Harry said, not even realizing he had done so out loud.

"So he is," Lord Black hummed amused.  
"Now let us all go home. I had my house elves prepare a banquet for the entire family."

Sirius' eyes widened in shock.

"The whole family?!" he asked perplexed.  
"That has to be more than 20!"

"29. 31, if Charis and Callidora bring their young ones."


	35. The Noble and Most Ancient House Black

Dinner with the Blacks was the most stressful event Harry had ever participated in, and he had been a champion in the Tri-wizard Tournament AND had to do the opening dance at the Yule Ball. However, sitting at a table with 25 aristocrats was nerve wracking.

What he had perceived as simple small talk at first turned out to be pure politics, and the longer he spend in their presence, the more he worried about the possibilities of poison in his cup. Sirius and Alphard both stayed dutifully by his side the entire time and guided his answers as subtly as they could. It was still obvious to everyone present that Harry wasn't used to Pureblood etiquettes.

"Are you sure your mother was a Black, dear?" Irma Black, Alphard's mother, teased.

"Harry never knew his parents, mother," Alphard replied calmly as he poked his meat with a bored expression.  
"Hadn't I told you yet? They both died protecting Harry when Russian Hit-wizards attacked them. His father was a great Auror, you see and he singlehandedly took down many dealers who sold illegal magic to muggles. So many even that he had to go into hiding."

The woman didn't look ashamed at all as she was set straight. She pursed her lips together, and the eager glint in her eyes told Harry she was eager to press for more information. Information Harry couldn't give.

"Irma, please," Dorea Potter sighed.  
"You know just as well as I that the Potters are not as cold a family as we are. I can see a lot of them in him and indeed very little of our side. But that is a good thing."

She smiled kindly at Harry while the man next to her grinned jovially. Harry didn't even need to know he'd be present to know that was Charlus Potter, his father's uncle. The famous messy Potter hair was indeed a few shades lighter, as were his kind grey eyes, but the face and glasses were exactly the same as what Harry had seen from pictures of his father. The familiar face gave him courage and he turned back to Irma with a polite smile.

"What Alphard says isn't entirely true," he confessed.  
"My father wasn't alone in this endeavour. Uncle Sirius and he were always partners, and they were brothers even long before my parents married."

Charlus turned his eyes on Sirius and gave him a supportive grin.

"It must have been terrible to lose them both so early in life," the man sighed.  
"I've personally never really known my uncle, but dad told us many great things about him. He was a free spirit and a brave man."

"That, he was," Sirius mumbled.

"At least I was finally able to meet my cousin!" Charlus exclaimed cheerfully, grinning at Harry.  
"Now I have something to brag about at home. I got to meet you before Fleamont did!"

"I don't think that's much to brag about," Harry muttered blushing.  
"I'm nothing special you know. Just Harry."

"And just Harry just happens to be an amazing Seeker," Walburga cut in proudly.  
"Best one I've seen in all my years at Hogwarts. I bet even outside the school there would be few who can best him."

"A true Potter then!" Charlus laughed.  
"We've always been sports men! My-our grandfather used to be a Professional Player. Founded the Chudley Cannons, believe it or not."

Harry's eyes widened and he grinned when he thought of Ron's reaction when he told him about that little titbit. The redhead was probably the biggest Cannons fan in the UK.

"I sincerely hope the boy isn't planning on pursuing such a fleeting career as _Quidditch player_ ," Arcturus sneered from the other side of the table.

"It's my plan C, if I don't make it into Auror Training," Harry answered shrugging.  
"I love Quidditch, but to be honest it's the flying alone that has charmed me the most about the sport. I love being in the air and feel the wind. It's a sense of freedom you can't replicate on the ground."

Charlus and Alphard both nodded along in agreement and Harry could see more of the people present smile at him over it.

"And what would Plan B be then?" Alphard's dad, Pollux Black, asked curiously.

"A teacher at Hogwarts," Harry replied immediately.

"Not at Durmstrang?" Melania Black asked surprised.  
"That's where you have studied until now, haven't you?"

"It is, but it wouldn't feel right," Harry told her smiling.  
"I know I'm not born here, but this is home, I can tell."

He saw Lord Black nod at him with a satisfied smile, and he knew he had won the Black family for him. The Blacks were a very old family, set in their ways too much to change, so, as it had been for centuries, what the Head of the Family says goes.

"Speaking of the mainland, how is the war going?" a man Harry believed was called Beurk asked.  
"With the stories going around, I find it hard to believe muggles haven't noticed yet."

"Muggles are waging war themselves," Sirius said.  
"Any casualties they find from our war are considered casualties of theirs."

"Ha! I told you that German was a smart one!" Lycoris Black exclaimed proudly.  
"I believe we should ally with him before he reaches Britain, Father. He might be crude in his ways, but his ideas are good."

Harry scowled unhappily at that, but h bit his tongue stubbornly. He couldn't ruin his chances now by opening his mouth. Next to him, Sirius' hands tightened around his cutlery until his knuckles turned white as Arcturus nodded along with his younger brother.

"I don't think so," Cedrella Black spoke up timidly from where she was seated between her sisters.  
"He's dangerous and a killer, and really, muggles are not as bad as we make them out to be."

Both of them were already married, both cradling toddlers and one, the one married to a Longbottom if Harry remembered the introductions right, was about 9 months pregnant and looked as if she could give birth at any time.

"Hush, girl. You're too young to understand politics," her mother scolded the 7th year Ravenclaw.

Lord Black turned his head towards his younger brother, Arcturus I.

"Cedrella has no man waiting for her yet, does she?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, no," the other man sighed, looking deeply ashamed at that.

Harry had to give Cedrella credit for taking it all in stride as she sat calmly, back straight and eyes hard as her father and uncle discussed her entire future as if it was nothing.

"Perhaps young Harry could be a match."

Harry tensed, his eyes widening in shock as his name was mentioned and he turned his head fast enough to cause himself a whiplash.

"With all due respect, _uncle_ , but Harry's parents were very clear that they wanted him to marry out of love, like they had done," Sirius spoke coldly, glaring at the man he had inherited the name of.  
"I promised to always protect him and make his happiness my priority and I intent to keep that."

"And so we will respect their last wish," Lord Black agreed easily, tapping his chin in thought.  
"There is also that Riddle boy to consider. As I said before, I would very much like him in our midst."

Cedrella blushed and ducked her head, glancing shyly at Harry.

"Oh no, I couldn't…" she whispered.

"Careful, or you'll make Harry jealous," Lucretia teased.

"Hardly," Harry drawled lazily before looking at Lord Black.  
"I'm not worried about Tom accepting your proposal, my Lord. Your niece has the wrong parts to entice him."

Next to him, Sirius almost spit out his drink in laughter. He wasn't the only one.

. . . . .

They stayed at the main home of the Blacks – which to Harry's very honest surprise wasn't actually Grimmauld Place, but a large Mansion somewhere in Ireland – for the next two weeks, and the longer they were there, the more Harry realized.

First off: He would have much rather gone with his friends to stay with the Weasleys and he really regretted not being invited there instead. The Weasleys were friendly and cheerful and everything the Blacks were not. At least with them, he never had to worry about double meanings during regular conversations.

Second: Lord Sirius Black was a good man for a so-called 'Dark' wizard. He was intelligent, witty and very sharp for a man his age, or any man, really. He held a fourth of all the Wizengamot seats, but instead of keeping them all to himself, he'd divided them under his three sons equally because he believed that too much power was too dangerous for one man to hold. While he used very few words and didn't mingle much in the business of his family aside from deciding who marries who, Harry couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect for the man.

Third: Orion absolutely adored his grandfather and followed the man like a puppy. Harry could obviously understand, since the elderly man gave him the love and attention the boy didn't receive from his own father.

That brought him to number four on his list: Arcturus Black II was an absolute arsehole. He looked down on Harry, mistreated his elves, and seemed to despise his wife. That feeling seemed to be mutual, and Harry was sure that if Melania would have been able to keep her kids if she left, she would have done so years ago.

And lastly: Sirius acted _really_ weird around Arcturus Black. He was colder than usual, and their talks almost always ended with him storming out of the room angrily. And it wasn't even the older Black's fault. No, Sirius kept baiting the man.

Both Lucretia and Orion noticed this too, and they often asked Harry about Sirius' issue. Sadly, Harry had no answer for them and he more and more often wished that if they had to stay with the Black's that they could have stayed with Alphard and his siblings in Grimmauld.

After one particularly violent outburst from Sirius, Harry decided to have a private talk with his Godfather about his recent behaviour. Yes, Arcturus was even worse than bloody Lucius Malfoy when treating his house elves, but Sirius had never been kind to Kreacher either, so his insults had been uncalled for. The man was a brute, sure but calling him 'as manner and gentle as a mountain troll' might have gone a bit far.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, knocking on the door to his Godfather's bedroom as he entered.  
"Everything alright? You're acting very… tense whenever you're near Arcturus."

"Yeah, I know," the man sighed, rubbing his face with both hands tiredly.  
"I just… I can't stand him Harry! Never bloody could!"

Harry scowled. Arcturus Black was Sirius' grandfather, and if he remembered it right, then he should have still been alive when Sirius was a kid. Did something happen back then?

"How come?" he asked curiously.

"Well, he encouraged muggle hating in the family for starters," Sirius muttered.  
"Demanded I was disowned when I ended up in Gryffindor and even threatened to sue Hogwarts for the same reason. He had a habit of poisoning anyone brave enough to stand against him, even family. And he's the reason I eventually ran away when I was 16."

Harry scowl deepened considerably by these revelations and he bit his lip.

"Why did you run away?" he wanted to know.

"He was setting up an arranged marriage for me," Sirius muttered.  
"Some French pureblood witch whose family had connections to both Grindelwald and Voldemort."

"You ever met her?" Harry asked.

"No," Sirius sighed.  
"She was a year older than me and still studying in Beauxbatons. I saw a picture, and she looked very nice and all, but I just couldn't imagine marrying a girl I never met. We'd go see her after my 6th year to make our engagement official."

"But you never went," Harry murmured.

"Didn't want to," Sirius shrugged.  
"Though during the following year I often regretted my choice and thought of crawling back, begging for forgiveness and marry her anyway. I never could get over my pride to do that."

Harry nodded in understanding. He wouldn't have liked to be forced into marriage either. When Lord Black had suggested he'd marry Cedrella, he had been horrified. It had to be the same thing Sirius had felt.

"I especially regretted my choice when Marlene and I broke up," Sirius sighed.  
"Now there was a woman! If there was any girl I would have settled with, it was her. Sadly, she didn't like my rebellious nature…"

Harry chuckled at that. Thinking of his Godfather settling down and marrying was a bit weird, but maybe it would have done well for the man. He looked around the room Arcturus had appointed Sirius and his eyes landed on the stack of real estate papers.

"Found us a house yet?" he asked.

Sirius looked at him and grinned, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"I've been considering three for now, but I think I found the perfect one for us."


	36. Home Sweet Home

"What do you think?" Sirius asked, looking over to the six teens.

They were all staring wide-eyed at the Mansion in front of them. It had a large court in front with high trees on either side of the path and two statues of pegasii on either side of the iron gate. The House itself was three stories high and very wide, made of classic red stone and a grey stone roof. It had large windows, so there should be enough light getting inside, and the porch, double front door and windowsills were all painted white. It was definitely the most beautiful house Harry had ever seen.

"It's definitely not the Burrow, that's for sure," Ron muttered awe.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't find a home with that sort of unique charm."

"Oh no! This is perfect, really!" Ginny said immediately, unable to keep her eyes off the building.

"Great!" Sirius said grinning.  
"It has a pretty big backyard, for those of you who want to play Quidditch. A pitch is easily enough set up."

"Wicked!" the twins said together, high-fiving each other with wide grins.

"We could set up a few nice flower beds too!" Hermione said smiling.  
"Give some colour and personality to the home."

"I'll help," Harry agreed right away, grinning widely at the brunette.  
"I used to tend the garden for aunt Petunia all the time, so I know how."

Hermione's face lit up brightly and she beamed at Harry.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed happily.  
"We should definitely discuss which flowers fit together best, and where they should go!"

Harry laughed and nodded, looking back at the home.

"I can't wait to show the house to Tom," he murmured.

He didn't even notice how the others all lost their smiles.

. . . . .

"Tom! You have a visitor!" the plump old woman yelled.

Harry shuffled around nervously when he saw how several ratty looking kids stared at him so openly. A little girl, not even 10 years old, slowly inched her way towards Harry and pulled his sleeve with her greasy little fingers, her brown eyes wide and curious.

"You look nice," she said.  
"Why would you want to see Tom?"

"Because he's my friend," Harry replied grinning.  
"We go to school together, and I promised I'd pick him up when he could come visit."

"So that school of his is real?" a boy about Harry's own age asked.

His voice was gruff, as if he'd gotten sick and never really recovered, and his teeth were yellowed with already three missing. Harry felt a pang of pity, but he supposed that was just how things were for orphans at this time in history. Many died of bad hygiene and sickness.

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" he asked confused.

"We never saw anyone from his school except for that weird man when he was accepted," the boy shrugged.  
"He must not be liked well if no ever comes to see him during the summers. Can't blame them for that."

Harry scowled and glared at the boy.

"What are you talking about?" he asked annoyed.  
"Tom is the most popular guy in school. Everyone loves him."

"Then it has to be a school for weirdo's and freaks."

"Yes, thank you, Billy," Tom drawled as he walked up to them.  
"You're here early, Harry. I expected you at least a week later. Have you already found a place to live?"

Harry grinned widely at that and nodded his head eagerly.

"It's amazing, Tom! It's huge!" he exclaimed cheerfully.  
"No one knows what to do with all the space! Fred and George don't know what to do with themselves now that they both have separate rooms. They keep complaining about the empty space. Hermione hasn't come out of the library – which is almost as big as the one at school by the way – since we moved in yesterday, and Ron and Gin rarely ever even come inside since Sirius installed a pitch in the backyard!"

Tom chuckled amused and put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Try not to brag too much about it here. You're surrounded by orphans, Harry."

"Wait… you're rich!" the boy Harry now knew was called Billy shouted shocked.

"I'm still not even close to some others in our class," Harry shrugged, acting as if it was nothing as he turned to Tom.  
"Doesn't Megan's family own about 2/3's of a mountain in Greece? And Sandberg has a castle in Denmark, right?"

"And the Rosiers own three vineyards in France," Tom added smirking.  
"And then we haven't even talked about the Blacks. A castle in Scotland, a beach Mansion in France, ground in Spain, Italy and Germany and several houses spread over Britain."

Harry turned to Billy and grinned.

"It's a very elite school we go to," he said.  
"And Tom is the smartest out of everyone there."

With that, he grabbed Tom's hand and dragged his boyfriend out of the grey, depressing building. As they were out on the street, Tom started laughing loudly, making Harry smile more genuine.

"You are amazing, Love," Tom told Harry.  
"I love the face Billy Stubbs made when you told him that."

"He deserved it for looking down on you like that," Harry replied scowling.

"He thinks I killed his rabbit."

"Did you?" Harry asked, raising a brow.

"He doesn't have any proof of it," Tom shrugged.  
"Besides, we were ten at the time, so he really should get over that already."

Harry rolled his eyes but refrained from replying. It really wasn't worth it.

. . . . .

Tom was impressed by the house. He had been at the Malfoy Manor before, as he held close contacts with Abraxas Malfoy, and to Grimmauld Place, but he was quick to admit that neither of those homes were as welcoming and warm as Harry's new Mansion at Godric's Hollow.

Like he had already said, they only found Sirius inside the house, and the man gladly told them that everyone, aside from Hermione was in the backyard, playing Quidditch, while the brunette had once again locked herself up in the large library.

"The bloody thing came already stacked," Sirius chuckled.  
"That's lucky for Hermione, but a hassle for the rest of us, because it's hard enough to lure her back out to eat."

Harry laughed at that and grabbed Tom's hand, dragging him towards the back of the house.

"C'mon! Let's go see how the others are doing!" he said joyfully.

"Calm down Harry! We're not little kids!" Tom laughed at Harry's eagerness.  
"Besides, we both know they won't be very happy to see me. I'm a supposed killer, remember?"

Harry rolled his eyes but didn't stop walking.

"You're not a killer and they know that," he dismissed.  
"Both Ron and Hermione promised to trust how I feel about you and Fred and George said they won't point fingers until anything is proven. They used to be the only ones that believed in me when the whole school thought I was the Heir of Slytherin."

"You? The Heir of Slytherin?" Tom asked snorting.

"It could have been possible!" Harry scoffed playfully.

Tom laughed and followed Harry outside. The backyard was really big, bigger than it should have been with the size of the ground the house was built on, but Harry was pretty sure it had something to do with magic. It always had. From where they were standing, they could see the small Quidditch field in the back and the four teens flying around above it.

"Let's go tell them you're here!" Harry said eagerly, walking forward again.

His hand had slipped from Tom's and so, he didn't immediately realize that Tom wasn't following him anymore. He didn't even notice the thoughtful expression his boyfriend was wearing as he stared at Harry's back.

"I've decided on my third free question," Tom said suddenly.

Harry stopped walking and turned to look at Tom, eyes wide in curiosity.

"If you had been born in this time, without any reason to seek me out, would you still have been interested in me?"

Harry scowled at the strange question as he thought about it for a few moments.

"I think I would have," he replied eventually.  
"Everyone is, you know? You're the type of person that stands out, and while I like to think of myself as a good judge in character, I probably would have fallen for your charm and became one of your many groupies in no time."

Tom laughed and grabbed Harry's hand in his.

"You're only a groupie if I wouldn't date you," he said.

"Are you saying that even if I didn't have some big secret you wanted to unravel you'd still have noticed me?" Harry asked with a raised brow.

He made the question sound light and joking, but Harry truly believed Tom wouldn't have bothered. Other than the young Slytherin Heir, Harry wasn't anything special just by himself. He was now only because Voldemort had for some reason chosen to target him.

"Of course I would. You're the type of person to stand out too, Harry."

. . . . .

Dinner that evening was pretty awkward, since Ginny couldn't stop glaring at Tom. The twins and Ron desperately tried to act as if nothing at all was different, and by extension tended to ignore Tom by accident. Hermione and Sirius were basically the only ones who knew how to act normally around the teen. Harry was grateful his friends still tried.

"So Hermione told us you are a prodigy in Arithmancy," Sirius said.  
"And Harry says a lot of things, but we've long since decided that everything he says is because of the rose tinted glasses he's wearing."

Harry blushed in horror and glared at his godfather while Tom smiled.

"Arithmancy is a really interesting class," he replied.  
"I've always been a bit disappointed that they don't teach Math at Hogwarts. I usually had to borrow books about it from the other kids at the Orphanage. The same with Physics and Geography. Plus, Arithmancy is also the study of creating spells, which I would very much like to be able to do."

"You want to have even more classes?!" Ron asked horrified.

"Yes. These kind of classes teach a child to use logic," Tom replied shrugging.  
"Charms and Transfigurations are very interesting and useful in a wizarding environment of course, but you don't need to understand _why_ it does what it does. In fact, most wizards and witches _don't care_ where magic comes from. I'm not as good at it as I would like to, but I do know some Physics, and following those rules, a lot of what we do is supposed to be impossible. If we found a way to _combine_ these sciences with magic, we might even be able to _explain_ magic scientifically."

"Merlin, that's _genius_!" Hermione exclaimed wide-eyed.  
"We should go into London one of these days and look for books! Maybe we can study it together."

"I'd be happy to," Tom replied smiling.

"And maybe Harry can help too!" Hermione continued, an excited glint in her eyes.  
"I mean, he's muggle raised too, just like us, so he's learned some of it in elementary school."

"Just in elementary school, Hermione," Harry reminded her scowling.  
"Those were just the basics and I've forgotten most of it already."

"Anything you learn will stay inside your memories," Tom told him.  
"All you need to do is find a way to access the information."

Harry sighed and put his head in his arms on the table.

"I really doubt I'm going to be any help though. Just do it with Hermione," he muttered.  
"I'll help with the little things or something, but if I have to study this summer, I prefer to study from my school books once the list arrives."

"Alright," Tom shrugged.

. . . . .

Like promised, Tom and Hermione went shopping in muggle London for books together with Sirius while the others all stayed home and played Quidditch. Harry felt a little bad for not joining or helping, but he really didn't want to spend his time with useless studies when he should be relaxing after a stressful year.

Besides, Tom didn't seem to be too upset. In fact, when he was back in the evening, he pulled Harry away from the others to kiss him breathless and he told Harry about everything they had found. Apparently, they'd gotten their hands on some very interesting books.

"We found _'Principles of Mathematical Logic'_ by Hilbert and Ackermann, as well as both volumes of _'Foundations of Mathematics'_ by Hilbert and Bernays!" Tom told him eagerly.  
"I wanted them in German, because reading them in their original language is always the most interesting, but Hermione seems to only speak it slightly. So we bought several books on learning German too. Which, to be honest might not have been in good taste with the shopkeeper considering the war…"

Harry chuckled at that and shook his head.

"Then why did you buy them?" he asked.

"Because you claim to have studied in Durmstrang, and they don't teach in English," Tom said.  
"They have classes in four different languages, all neatly spread so everyone has some classes in every language. They're Russia, Bulgarian, German and Polish."

Harry scowled.

"Oh," he mumbled.

There went his relaxing summer…

. . . . .

One morning, the group currently living in the Mansion at Godric's Hollow walked into the kitchen to be met with the sound of owls. Fred and George were already there, grinning widely as they waved around their diplomas. Both of them had 6 NEWTs and they were very proud of that.

"Now to find a job," George said shrugging.

"Preferably in the joking business," Fred added.

"Good morning everyone," Sirius greeted as he entered the kitchen.

The House Elf Sirius had bought with the house put a large stack of pancakes down for them as she greeted Sirius excitedly, a bright, happy smile and blue eyes big and adoring. She as a very young elf with the name of Silly, and Sirius was her very first master. Sirius smiled at her and thanked her for the breakfast before he took a letter that was addressed to him from a large, regal-looking white owl that made Harry miss Hedwig even more.

"Huh," Sirius muttered, eyes growing wide in surprise.  
"It's a letter from Lord Julianus Malfoy to invite me and my family to the Malfoy Midsummer Ball in two weeks."

"Should we go?" Hermione asked.

"It would be best," Tom replied before Sirius could.  
"Anyone who is anyone will be there. It's the quickest way to get yourself known around here or form alliances. Besides, I'm invited as well, and so will most of our classmates… from Slytherin."

"What if we don't want to form any alliances?" Ginny asked venomously.

"Then you'll probably make several enemies and gain a lot of negative attention," Tom replied dryly.  
"I thought you wanted to _blend in_? I know it's not the Weasley way, but it is when you want to part of this world."

"We'll be going," Sirius decided.  
"In our time, these kind of parties were important too, and while I never liked them, I'm sure I still know how to do them."

"Alright!" Hermione said cheerfully.  
"But now, let's look at the letters!"

There was one for every one of them, containing their OWL results and a paper with all the possible courses they could take of which they were allowed to scrap a few, as long as they were left with at least three. Next to that, they had a list of books and other equipment they needed for the coming year.

"Bloody Hell, Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, grabbing her card from her hands to better look at it.  
"Eleven OWLs?! They even congratulated you for breaking the school record! Most OWLs in history!"

"Really?!" Ron said shocked.  
"Blimey, Hermione. You take the term nerd to a new level."

Harry laughed at the undignified huff from Hermione as she hit her fake brother on the head before taking her results back from Ginny. He looked over to Tom, who was watching them too with an amused glint in his eyes. He too held his results in hand, and when Harry saw them, he had to snort.

"Looks like you were bested, Tom," he said teasingly.  
"Only ten OWLs for you it seems like."

Tom laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, woe is me. Beat by an intelligent witch."

Hermione blushed at that and looked at her feet while Ginny narrowed her eyes at Tom. She still didn't trust him. Ron noticed of course and cleared his throat, shuffling closer to Harry to look at his.

"What have you got mate?" he asked curiously.

"Eight OWLs and an A for Astronomy, but I'll be dropping that," Harry said.

"Same. And six OWLs. I failed Divination and History," Ron replied, craning his head to look at Harry's scores.  
"Bloody hell Harry! And E on both of those?! How'd you manage that? Before this year, I was always better at History than you."

"I had a good teacher," Harry said, glancing at Tom with a smile.  
"But I won't be doing them anymore next year either."

Both Hermione and Tom scowled at that.

"And why not?" Hermione demanded to know.  
"I understand dropping Divination, but History and Astronomy are both really interesting!"

"Are you saying you're keeping all yours?!" Ron asked incredulous.  
"You do realize that NEWTs are at least twice as hard as OWLs, right?"

Hermione went red again.

"Well, yes," she muttered.  
"I mean, I could drop Muggle Studies, because I know most of it already, but it's absolutely fascinating the way wizards think of muggles!"

"You'll have a mental breakdown with all those!" Harry exclaimed wide-eyed.  
"You and Tom both! At least drop some of them!"

"I won't drop anything," Tom said blankly.  
"Not because they fascinate me, mind you. But they're all useful."

"I don't see how History, Astronomy or Divination could be useful," Harry muttered scowling.  
"How come you got an O on Divination anyway? If you could see the future then you wouldn't have tried to kill me that night."

"Divination is more than seeing the future, Harry," Tom told his boyfriend sighing.  
"I know the theory by heart, I can read the cards, palm and tealeaves and I can interpret dreams. I might have never had a vision or I haven't gotten a Kristal boll to work properly to show me more than vague blotches, but it's the most one can do without the Inner Eye, and that's just as good for the points."

Harry blinked at that.

"And on their usefulness… Astronomy and Divination are needed NEWTs for those who want to become a Unspeakable. Astronomy is actually a NEWT requirement for the Department of Mysteries in large. History is good as a teacher, a historian, a writer and for certain departments at the Ministry."

"Well, I want to become an Auror, so I don't need any of those," Harry shrugged.

"What about if you slip up again?" Tom wanted to know.  
"You're the only one from all your friends who can still go to Divination. So, if one of you slip up on something about the future, you can claim to have seen it."

"Won't they expect me to have some talent then?" Harry asked scowling.

"That's easy enough to fake," Tom shrugged.

"And History is useful for Aurors too!" Hermione piped up.  
"In fact, it gives you a head start to know about war or certain events that happened."

"And OWL should be enough for that," Ron said scowling.  
"What does he need a NEWT for? His schedule will be full enough without it with those extra lessons German you shoved on us."

Hermione glared at Ron, who threw his hands up in defeat while Tom looked at Harry.

"The higher your scores, the better for you in the future," he said.  
"You're a Slytherin this time around, meaning you have ambition."

Harry sighed loudly and nodded reluctantly.

"Fine. I'll keep History and Divination," he conceded grumbling.  
"But I'm still dropping Astronomy! I'm not waking up in the middle of the night for no bloody reason ever again!"


	37. Party Surprises

Finally, it was Harry's 16th birthday, but he decided against celebrating. Sure, all his friends had given him birthday presents. Even his classmates send him owls with congratulations, but they didn't do much more than that. Instead, the whole group decided to go to Diagon Alley to buy their school equipment and new dress robes for the party. They met up with some of their friends, who all had to give Harry their best _again_ and by the end of the day, they were all exhausted and happy as they fell into their beds.

The rest of the two weeks were filled with quidditch, pranks, reading and hiding in the bushes making out. He and Tom had been caught three times, causing a lot of teasing from Ron, Sirius and especially the twins. Tom didn't seem bothered by it at all, in fact, Harry noticed that he looked very smug every time it was brought up again and he started to get the niggling feeling that Tom had them get caught on purpose for this reason. It was annoying and endearing at the same time.

Eventually, the time came for the party, and everyone had dressed up. Hermione had dressed in a dark green gown with silver trim and Ginny wore a pink lace gown. Fred and George wore dark red costumes that were slightly reminiscent to the uniform Viktor Krum had worn to the Yule Ball while Ron wore simple, yet elegant black dress robes. Harry was dressed nearly the same as Ron, not wanting to stand out too much. Tom too wore simple black dress robes, a bit cheaper than the ones the others were wearing, though Harry would have gladly payed for anything, Tom refused to take anything too costly.

Still, it was probably Sirius that would attract the most attention with his very expensive and fashionable robes. He was dressed like a true Lord, a bit like Lucius Malfoy would go, but in lighter colours and not as stiff of a collar.

"Ready to leave?" Sirius asked, handing Tom the Floo powder first.

Harry watched as Tom stepped into the Floo and threw the powder at his feet. Suddenly, Tom lashed out, grabbing Harry by his wrist and pulled him in as well.

"Malfoy Manor!" he called.

The duo stumbled out of the floo at the Malfoy home, Tom laughing joyously and Harry fell on top of him. Harry jumped up quickly and dusted off his robes, glaring at his boyfriend.

"What the hell was that?!" he demanded.

"That was me doing something spontaneous," Tom chuckled.  
"I know I don't do it as often as I should, but you have to admit it was fun!"

Harry rolled his eyes and smiled while the others all arrived too.

The party was already going when they walked into the ballroom. Many purebloods, all dressed in impeccable and expensive robes talked and danced together, enjoying wine and aperitifs that were brought to them by House Elves wearing silver lined cloths with the Malfoy insignia on them.

"Hermione! Tom! Harry!" Alphard called out, waving at them.

He had been talking to Megan, Michael and Sandberg while a bit further, Walburga, Cygnus and Orion were socializing with the Lestrange brothers, Dolohov, Mulciber and Nott. Ravina Lestrange hung on Abraxas Malfoy's arm again and was standing near the food table, where the couple was accepting congratulations.

"Oh! It seems Professor Slughorn and Professor Dumbledore are here too!" Hermione said, pointing at the two teachers, who were talking to Lord Malfoy and Lord Black.

"Well of course. Dumbledore and Lord Malfoy were classmates back in the day," Tom said.  
"They might have never gotten along, being rivals as far as the rumours go, but the Malfoys are strong followers of the saying 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'."

"Don't tell me our host is a Slytherin version of Dumbledore!" Harry asked desperately.

"Oh no. He's the complete opposite of Dumbledore," Tom replied smirking.

"Should we go say hello?" Hermione wondered.

"I don't think so," Ron muttered.  
"Let's just go to our friends instead."

Harry had wanted to go greet his friends too, but Tom pulled him along towards the Malfoy Heir instead.

"Abraxas. I heard you will be married by the end of the summer. Congratulations," Tom said in greeting.

"Thank you, Tom. It means a lot to hear that from you," the older man replied, dipping his head with a small smile.  
"I heard of your accomplishments with your OWL's, ten in total I believe? Second only to the Weasley girl who broke the record, yes?"

Harry could see in the wicked glint in the man's eyes that he was goading Tom, and the hard look in his boyfriend showed him that he wasn't completely untouched by it either. Tom smiled thinly.

"Hermione surely is deserving of praise for her scholar accomplishment," Tom agreed softly.  
"I am very proud to call her a friend, as I am proud to stand second to her."

Harry squeezed Tom's hand gently in thanks and smiled happily. He knew that it could have gone completely different. Tom was easily jealous, and wanted to be the best. Still, that he took Hermione's 'victory' so well was a good sign that Tom was indeed changing for the best. Abraxas smiled back at them, looking a bit disappointed as he turned towards Harry.

"Mr. Potter. We meet again," he said calmly.  
"I heard rumours that Lord Black was interested in joining you and Cedrella Black."

Harry could feel Tom tense next to him.

"He was also interested in joining her with Tom," Harry replied blankly.  
"Just because he _wants_ something to happen won't make it happen. I'll choose for myself who I marry."

"That could become a very interesting three-way," Ravina chuckled, grinning at him and Tom.

"It won't come to that," Harry said smirking.  
"I have a feeling that Cedrella will herself in a happy marriage without her family's influence."

With that, the two of them turned away and walked back to their friends.

"Who'll she marry then?" Tom asked curiously.

"Septimus Weasley," Harry replied grinning.

Tom chuckled and shook his head amused.

"That's something Abraxas would _not_ like to hear."

Harry laughed softly and shook his head in agreement as they joined the others. Megan was telling the others about her holiday Greece with her family and Tom complimented her on her new tan, to which she proudly replied that it was because she'd spend all of her time on the beach or swimming in either the ocean and her private pool.

"I have an announcement to make!" Michael said cheerfully, pulling Sandberg closer to him and making the girl blush.

The others who had been talking a bit further came to join them as well, curious. Avery and Eileen Prince had only arrived just now and stood with the others while Walburga, Cygnus, Orion, the Lestrange brothers, Mulciber, Dolohov and Nott came up to them as well.

"If it's about how you own _another_ prize in some duelling competition, I'm not interested," Mulciber told Michael.

"Yeah, in France when visiting my grandmother," Michael replied smugly.  
"But that wasn't what I was going to say. I meant the fact that it's finally been made official! Ellis and I are engaged."

"Congratulations!" Eileen said happily.

"Thank you," Sandberg mumbled blushing.

"Such a happy occasion should be celebrated!" Nicolas exclaimed loudly.  
"And where better than at a party?! Let the Firewhiskey flow in abundance my friends!"

"Nicolas Icarus Lestrange! Are you drunk?!" Walburga asked angrily.

Nicolas blushed and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the double doors of the ballroom swung open and four people strode in, wearing full black and skull-like masks covering their faces. Harry's eyes widened in shock as he recognized them all anyway.

Voldemort calmly followed after his Death Eaters while more of them still came behind him. There had to be around ten of them in total. Bellatrix Lestrange, who had been one of the four first to enter, was immediately on top of anyone who dared to raise their wands.

"Expeliarmus!" Dumbledore yelled, expertly disarming the insane witch.

Immediately, the Rosiers, a family famous for their skills as duellists, were all in arms as well, but Voldemort quickly strode forward.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of green and Dumbledore's body dropped to the floor. Harry's eyes widened in horror as he gripped his own wand tighter. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could feel the disappointment in Dumbledore's anticlimactic end, but it was pushed down violently under the rage and fear his death awakened in Harry.

"You bastard!" he screamed, turning towards Voldemort.

The man smirked and allowed Harry to try and attack him. Every one of Harry's curses were easily deflected by the much older, much stronger wizard, making Harry only more and more frustrated.

With just a flick of his wand, Voldemort disarmed Harry, and with another, he froze the teen's body on the spot. Harry hissed in anger and tried his best to strain against the invisible bonds, but they didn't give him an inch.

"Harry!" Ron shouted as he tried his best to get through the Death Eaters.

Tom, who had been standing next to Harry, had been pushed back by the commotion and had ended up back in the crowd between his friends. He watched as Michael, Alphard and Megan readied themselves to save Harry, but he stopped them.

"Stay here, don't do anything yet," he ordered them quietly.  
"Tell the others to do the same. Only act when I give you the go ahead."

Once he received a reluctant nod from all three, he turned back to Voldemort, who stood gloating next to Harry.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Potter!" the man hissed.

It was now or never, Tom realized. Voldemort would kill Harry if he didn't interfere.

"So you're Lord Voldemort!" he called out bravely.  
"I have to admit, I'm quite disappointed in you."

He stepped out of the crowd, giving his older self a cold smirk. There was a very uncomfortable pressure tugging at his mind and chest, as if he had been underwater too long and needed to breathe desperately, but he ignored the feeling and took another step forward. Bellatrix glared hatefully and raised her wand at him, sneering in fury.

"Why you little-"

"Bella!" Voldemort called out sharply, stopping her before she could do anything to Tom.

The snake like man turned his blood red gaze on Tom and narrowed his eyes slightly as he gave him a frigid grin.

"And pray tell, how am I disappointing you, child?" he asked.

Tom gave a cold laugh and approach some more until he was standing right in front of Voldemort. The pressure was almost unbearable, but he ignored it still. He had to if he wanted to save Harry's life.

"How is it that you don't see how counterproductive killing Harry is?" Tom asked him in astonishment.

"Tom! No!" Harry hissed, trembling in his bonds with how hard he was trying to fight them.

"You only say that because you do not know the truth," Voldemort told his younger self.  
"The _must_ die for us to live. You will be grateful later on, when you are where I am now."

"And you only say _that_ because _you_ don't know the truth," Tom shot back.

"Shut up Tom, please!" Harry tried again, eyes wide in horror.

Tom glanced at his boyfriend only for a second before refocusing back on Voldemort.

"I don't understand how you can create something so powerful without even realizing it," he said.  
"How can you not know what you made Harry into when you tried to kill him the first time? How is it that you never figured it out, even though you've been around him longer than I?"

"What are you talking about?" Voldemort hissed.

Tom smirked instead of answering and cocked his head.

"Maybe Harry was right and your mind has indeed rotted with insanity," he taunted.  
"Otherwise you'd have realized it by now. You'd have known just by being near him."

"Speak, boy!" Voldemort bellowed in anger.

"Don't! Please, Tom! Don't!" Harry begged, tears in his eyes as he struggled as hard as he could.

Tom grinned widely, a dark, evil glint in his dark blue eyes.

 ** _*He's a Horecrux.*_** he hissed in Parseltongue.


	38. Voldemort

Before Voldemort could do anything with the newly required information, a white snow owl came flying through and aimed her claws straight at Voldemort's face. Harry's eyes widened as he recognized the bird trying to scratch the Dark wizard's eyes out.

"Hedwig!"

"You damned bird!" Voldemort roared once he was able to slap her away.

He aimed his wand at the owl, sneering hatefully.

"Deletrius!"

"Protego!"

The magical shield Tom conjured protected Hedwig from Voldemort's curse. Harry couldn't stop the sigh in relief, but soon tensed again when he realized that Hedwig had to have come here together with someone, and that someone was likely not Voldemort and his followers.

He barely thought of this when three people stormed in, screaming curses and hexes at the Death Eaters. Harry's eyes widened when he recognized them as Remus, Tonks and Moody. The Death Eaters jumped into action right away, and so did several of the party guests. Michael's parents and two older sisters pulled out their wands while Sirius, Hermione and the Weasleys did the same.

Like Tom had ordered, his friends stayed back and watched with grim expressions. Tom nodded at them in encouragement. They'd know when the time came for them to act, and it was not yet.

The following battle was one to behold. Remus and Sirius almost immediately caught up with one another and battled the Lestrange brothers in a four-way duel. They were fierce and Tom could see that they were trained. The metamorphmagus, Tonks, was fighting along with Harry's friends against the other Death Eaters, while Moody took on Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy at the same time.

Tom just stood calmly and watched the whole thing with a detached expression from his position next to Voldemort. The older version, however, was less composed, and though he didn't do anything whatsoever either, he was grinning widely as he watched the battle commence.

Ron and Hermione were the first to be disarmed, followed almost immediately by Ginny and Tonks, who was knocked out with a Stupefy. Sirius and Remus got really close to defeating the future time Lestrange brothers, but all went wrong when Moody's defeat distracted them.

Mad Eye Moody proved himself to be the perfect Dark Wizard catcher he had always been made out to be and easily juggled against both Inner Circle Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange laughed insanely, casting dark curse after dark curse, which were all deflected or send back. Lucius seemed to struggle much harder, and it was no one's surprise when the man was blasted backwards. Sadly, this had left Moody open for an attack from Bellatrix for just long enough for the dark witch to cast the killing curse at his back.

Rodolphus Lestrange cast a full body bind curse on Remus just as he was about to rush towards the dead Auror, and grabbed the man, pressing his wand against his jugular. Sirius had no choice but to surrender his wand to his mad cousin's brother-in-law.

"Let's not start something unnecessary," Voldemort told them all amused.  
"All of you, move back and wands down before anything… _tragic_ happens."

He looked pointed at the bodies of both Dumbledore and Moody and smirked darkly. He clearly knew he had won and with the way he glanced smugly over to Tom, he was probably very confident that his younger counterpart would join his side.

Tom smirked darkly, but didn't confirm nor deny Voldemort's expectations. It was odd to think that he would underestimate himself. Did his mind get so muddled in the future that he couldn't even remember what he had been like? How Tom hadn't hated muggleborns yet, and that he always had his own agenda? It was sad that when Tom had claimed himself disappointed with his own older self, he hadn't even lied. The man was nothing more but a shadow of what he could have been. Voldemort was less than Tom Riddle.

Harry was standing tensely next to Tom and Voldemort, eyes darting around for a way out. His friends were all gathered up near the back, surrounded by Death Eaters from Harry's own time. He could see Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange lingering closely around a very confused and terrified Nicolas and Dimitri. They could probably guess who they were supposed to be, with their masks off, their familiar features were easily discerned as those of the Lestrange family.

"What do we have here?!" Bellatrix' deranged, gleeful shout rang through the room.

Harry's eyes widened when he saw her pull Hermione out of Ron's arms and throw her on the floor in the middle of the room. The brunette witch scrambled back, eyes wide and fearful as she stared at the older witch advancing on her. Bellatrix gave a mad cackle and threw a Crucio Hermione's way.

Harry jerked forward as the curse hit and Hermione started screaming. He wanted to rush forward, but another spell from Voldemort had his muscles all cease and he dropped to his knees, his body convulsing in pain, but unable to cry out.

"Don't touch him!" he heard Tom hiss.

"I didn't touch him though," Voldemort replied amused, chuckling.

When the pain faded, he could do nothing but watch helplessly as Bellatrix laughed and circled a shivering Hermione like a shark smelling blood. He wanted to jump up and help her, but the magic that held him in place was too strong, no matter how hard he strained.

No one else dared to move either. Fred and George had tried, but were easily overpowered by the Lestrange brothers – the ones from the future – Ron and Ginny were standing back, knowing that trying would be useless without wands, and they'd lost those already.

"Itty bitty Mudblood thought she could hide between the bloodtraitors?" Bellatrix taunted as she aimed her wand at Hermione again.

Sirius growled and surged forward, slamming into the first Death Eater he came across, who lost his mask and clutched his nose. If Harry had been able to move even a single muscle in his body, he'd have grinned at the sight of a bleeding Lucius Malfoy, but as things were, he couldn't.

"Leave her alone, you bitch!" Sirius yelled.

Bellatrix turned to face him, but didn't need to do anything as her husband cast a full body bind spell on the man, who dropped heavily on the stone floor. Bellatrix smirked viciously and turned back towards Hermione.

"No!" Alphard yelled, trying to shove forward, but after a harsh kick in the ribs from one of the Death Eaters, he was forced to his knees, groaning in pain.

Bellatrix did nothing but grin widely at that as she glanced over her shoulder to the Black teen, though she quickly turned back to Hermione. The brunette had been able to crawl away a bit, but it did nothing but make Bellatrix' grin widen even more.

"Crucio!" she yelled, laughing madly.

Hermione's screams echoed through the large ballroom, making many of the guests flinch and look away. Harry's breathing sped up the longer the curse was held and the harder his friend started convulsing under it. At last, the curse was lifted and Bellatrix took a step back. Hermione groaned and lifted herself up, glaring at the witch that had just tortured her. She spat. A glob of red spit landed on Bellatrix' boot.

"You dare!" the female Death Eater screeched furiously.

A swipe of her wand and Hermione was thrown backwards with great force. Another swipe and a deep cut appeared in Hermione's face, making her cry out in pain. With large strides, Bellatrix was back at Hermione's side and grabbed the teen by her brown hair, hauling her up forcefully before marching back to the middle of the room and throwing the young witch back down.

"Stupid mudblood!" Bellatrix yelled, kicking Hermione in the ribs a few times.

"Stop it!"

Many eyes turned towards the teen who had just raised his voice. Alphard stood tall, ignoring the many stares as he glared at his niece. His wand was still fisted in his hand, as he hadn't been part of the struggle before. Avery and Michael were flanking him, and Megan stood next to the latter.

"Of course, _uncle_ ," Bellatrix sneered sarcastically, before looking back down at Hermione.  
"Seducing a pureblood even when you're hiding what you really are? Crucio!"

"Expeliarmus!"

Two red flashes lit up the room. The first hitting Hermione, again, making her scream hoarsely, and the other hitting Bellatrix' wand. The torture curse was forcefully cut off as the wand was ripped from its owner's hand and skidded over the ground, landing at Harry's feet. He looked at it for a short moment, straining against his bonds as he tried to reach it, but it was useless.

Bellatrix turned her head, eyes flashing in anger and hatred, which dimmed as she saw who it was that had cast the disarming spell in the first place. Cygnus lifted his chin bravely, glaring at his first born daughter from the future with defiant dark grey eyes.

"What was that?!" Bellatrix screeched angrily.  
"The bitch is a mudblood! What are you doing?!"

Harry could see fear flash in the young boy's eyes, and he really wanted to get free so he could protect the child. Cygnus was everything Bellatrix was not, sweet, gentle, caring, immensely curious… He breathed a sigh in relief when he saw that he wasn't needed to protect the youngest Black when Walburga lifted her own wand and aimed it at Bellatrix's face.

"We know perfectly well who she is," the Black woman hissed.  
"But Hermione is one of us. She holds Tom's favour and she hold my brother's heart. That is more important than blood."

Lucinda Malfoy pulled away from her parents and walked up to Hermione while everyone stared at her. The pale blonde knelt down to the wounded, tortured girl and put a cool hand on her forehead.

"She doesn't feel good," she mumbled, looking up at the others.  
"Abraxas, can you heal her, please? Hermione is my friend."

The young Healer in training walked over and crouched down next to his sister. As he started muttering healing spells, more and more of the people found their courage to step away from the walls. Alphard was the first to hurry to the brunette's side, followed by Ron and Ginny. Fred, George, Nicolas and Dimitri in the meantime advanced on Rodolphus and Rabastan, who, in their shock of what was happening, relinquished the twins' wands back to them without a fight.

Smirking, Tom turned towards Voldemort. The Dark Lord scowled as he saw the sharp grin on his younger self's face. For the first time ever, Harry actually saw the great, terrifying Dark Lord look uncomfortable and uncertain. It was kind of funny, if one were to ignore the situation.

"I think you should leave," Tom suggested darkly, keeping a cold look on Voldemort.  
"This is my time. You don't hold any power here. I do, and Harry and Hermione hold my favour. You and yours don't. Leave."

"I don't need your favour," Voldemort hissed angrily.

The man still cancelled his spell on Harry and swept out of the room, his followers coming after him immediately. Harry stared on shock, before he looked over to a very proud-looking Tom. He scowled. When Tom noticed Harry looking at him, his expression softened and he approached quickly.

"I think you were right to worry all along," Tom mumbled.  
"I don't want to be like him. He's barely more than a shade."

"Of course I was right," Harry replied quietly.

He turned away from Tom without another word and walked over to where everyone was already fussing over Hermione. He stopped between Alphard and Ron and put a hand on both boys' shoulders to offer support.

"Hermione is strong. She'll pull through," he told them.

"I know," Alphard mumbled, voice hoarse from repressed emotions.  
"But family or not, if I see that Bellatrix bitch again, I'll kill her."

"Get in bloody line," Rom muttered darkly.  
"Blood or not, Hermione's still my sister."

 **Probably the shortest chapter so far, my apologies for that. I hope you all still like it.**


	39. Catching Up

"I'll send Tom's stuff to you then, Alphard," Harry said calmly.

Tom, who had been talking to Michael and Avery, turned his head around to stare at his boyfriend in shock. Harry didn't even look at him, his face tight as he just stared in Alphard's eyes. The young Black shuffled around nervously and glanced over to Tom, looking worried and apologetic.

"What does Alphard need my things for?" Tom asked darkly.

This time, Harry faced Tom. He wasn't intimidated in the slightest by the hard glare the older teen send him while all the other Slytherins cowered in front of their Lord.

"Because you're not welcome anymore," Harry said coolly.

"And why is that, Harry?" Tom hissed angrily.  
"Because I saved your miserable life? You should be proud that your goal has been reached."

" _You told Voldemort about the Horcrux, Tom!_ " Harry growled furious.

"And because of that he spared you!" Tom shouted back.  
"He would have killed you! It was the best out of two bad options!"

"I would have found a way! I always do!" Harry replied just as loudly.  
"Voldemort was _predictable_ before now, but with this, I have no idea what he'll do!"

"Whatever he does, at least he'll keep you alive!"

Harry laughed coldly at that and gave Tom a bitter smile.

"Death is not the worst thing, Tom," he said softly.  
"Eternal torture, imprisonment, isolation,… If Voldemort is able to capture me, I'll kill myself."

Tom's eyes widened in horror at those coldly spoken words and stepped closer to Harry, reaching out almost desperately. Harry just turned away and stepped into the floo before he disappeared in a bright green flash of fire.

. . . . .

"A Horcrux…" Sirius muttered as he continued pacing through the drawing room.  
"A bloody Horcrux! You should have told someone as soon as you found out!"

They were all gathered in the room. Fred, George and Ginny in the big couch, Harry in the armchair, Ron and Hermione in the loveseat to his right, and Remus and Tonks in the one to his left. Sirius, who had been sitting in the second armchair across from him had gotten up after Harry told them all about how Tom had discovered he was a Horcrux and was now pacing.

"How can we even be sure it's true?" Ginny asked.  
"I mean, it was Riddle who said it! How can we trust him?"

"It would explain a lot," Remus muttered thoughtfully.

"I still don't get what a Horcrux is…" Ron said frowning.  
"I mean, how can you just put a piece of soul in someone else?"

"Before Harry, it's never been done to make a living being into a Horcrux," Sirius said.  
"Murder of an innocent botches and fractures the soul. The Horcrux Ritual is an excruciating process where you magically rip a piece of your soul after weakening the seams by murder. It's said to be more painful than the Cruciatus."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Fred said frowning.

Sirius snorted and plopped back down in his seat. He closed his eyes and weaved his hands through his hair.

"I'm a Black," he said bitterly.  
"Study of the Dark Arts is kind of mandatory for us."

A silence fell over the group, where Hermione was scowling deeply. Harry could see the gears in her head whirring at high speeds as she tried to think of all the possibilities, and probably already making plans to learn more about Horcruxes and other Dark Arts practices.

"Horcruxes is one of the Darkest of practices there are. Probably _the_ darkest of all," Remus said slowly.  
"I remember reading up on it too during my later studies. Soul Magic as a whole has been made illegal in Britain and Europe in the late 1800s, along with Blood Magic."

That definitely caught Hermione's attention.

"Blood Magic?" she asked, eyes gleaming with interest.  
"How does that go in its work? What's considered to fall under the two categories? Why are they illegal?"

"Calm down will you!" Ron huffed amused, while Remus smiled.

"I never really studied up on either practice, so I don't really know what would be considered under the category, or how it works," their former Defence teacher replied.  
"But they were forbidden because of the dangers connected to them. Messing around with the soul is extremely dangerous, and more often than not, practitioners die or go insane. Blood magic is ancient, one of the first forms of magic there is, and extremely powerful, but corruptible and fickle. It is strongly based on the emotions of the caster, or, well, ritualist, really, since it isn't spell based. It rarely does what you want."

"The Black Library was filled with books on those kind of practices," Sirius muttered.  
"I never even opened the books, but my younger brother was nearly obsessed with them."

"You think that's where Riddle learned about it too?" George asked.  
"We all know Alphard is his best friend after all, so it would explain some of it."

"Most likely," Hermione mumbled thoughtful.

"Maybe you can read up on it when you'll visit your boyfriend, Hermione!" Fred teased.

Hermione smirked and looked over at the older redhead.

"Oh don't worry. I definitely will," she said with an excited glint in her eyes.

. . . . .

"How did you guys end up here?" Harry asked Remus.

"We followed Voldemort here after we heard he chased after you," Remus replied.

"No one knows exactly what happened, but one day he was there and the next he wasn't!" Tonks added.  
"Someone from the Order must have told him after we found the research you left behind. Snape later came by to inform us that You-Know-Who had gone back in time to kill you."

"Snivelus warned you?" Sirius asked shocked.

Remus and Tonks nodded.

"Dumbledore wanted him to join us here too, but he refused," Remus said.  
"He didn't want, and I quote: 'get murdered by the Dark Lord over the ridiculous endeavour of the combined stupidity of Potter, Black and Weasley.'"

"Nice to know he still thinks about us," Harry drawled sarcastically.

Remus smirked at that, before he sat up and dug in his vest pocket for a red envelop.

"Before I forget! Molly asked me to give this to you," he said, handing it to Fred.

Ron paled when he saw what it was, and Ginny's eyes widened.

"Is-is that a _howler_?!" Sirius asked astonished, sitting back down in his chair.

Harry had a hard time trying to hold back his laughter at that. Leave it to Molly Weasley to send her kids a bloody Howler after finding out they went back 53 years in time. Hermione got away from Ron quickly as the four Weasleys huddled together around the Howler, their faces ashen, and sat down on the arms rest of Harry's chair.

"FRED, GEORGE, RONALD AND GINEVRA WEASLEY!" Molly's voice suddenly screeched through the room, putting Walburga's impressive vocals to shame.  
"EMPTY BEDS, NO NOTE, NO WARNING AND NOW I HAVE TO HEAR _BY PROXY_ THAT YOU WENT TO THE PAST AND YOU-KNOW-WHO FOLLOWED AFTER YOU?! YOU COULD GET KILLED! YOU COULD STOP YOUR OWN BIRTH! YOU COULD END THE WHOLE UNIVERSE! Harry, dear, I know it's been hard for you after that poor Diggory boy died, but you should have come to me instead. I'm very proud to hear that you take this all very serious, please be careful. AND YOU ALL CAN BE SURE THAT YOU'LL BE GROUNDED FOR LIFE IF YOU EVER MAKE IT BACK TO THIS TIME!"

With that, the Howler ripped itself to tiny pieces, leaving the whole group of time-travellers in a tense silence.

"That went better than expected," Fred chuckled weakly, though Harry could see the letter really pained him.

"I-is it even possible for us to go back?" Ginny asked quietly, looking up at the adults with big eyes.

"Not as far as I could find," Hermione muttered, looking towards Remus for a confirmation or denial.

The man looked down sadly and shook his head.

"It's never been done before," he mumbled.  
"If there is a way, it hasn't been invented yet."

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about being grounded for another 53 years," George joked weakly.

"Mum is so going to kill us," Ron said with a chuckle, but Harry could hear the sadness in his voice.

Everyone fell quiet again with that. Everyone seemed to be lost in thought, and Harry felt a stab of guilt. He was the one who had dragged them all here with him. Just because he didn't have anyone missing him in the future (and when had it become future? When had he started thinking of _this_ time as the present?) didn't mean the others didn't. There were Hermione's parents, the Weasleys. The twins' friends, Ginny's…

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled.

"For what?" Ron asked him.  
"We made our own choices."

"In case you forgot, me and George even chased after you guys," Fred reminded him with a small grin.

"We miss mum and dad and Bill and Charlie, and even Percy, but we don't regret following you, Harry," Ginny added.

"You'll just have to make sure that we didn't come here for nothing," George teased.

Harry chuckled weakly and grinned at his friends.

"Thanks, guys," he mumbled.  
"I don't know what I would do without you."

"Crash and burn," Hermione joked before kissing Harry's cheek.

. . . . .

"Hey there, girl," Harry greeted his owl as he walked into his bedroom.

Hedwig stopped grooming her feathers and just stared at Harry with accusatory yellow eyes from where she was perched on his bedframe. Harry smiled softly and walked over. Merlin, he had missed her so much.

"I'm sorry I left you behind," he murmured, petting the white owl gently.  
"I was just worried, you know? We weren't sure that you would survive."

The owl gave him a deadpan look and went back to grooming herself, making Harry chuckle.

"You're right. I should have believed in you more," he agreed.  
"From now on, I'm never going anywhere without you, I promise."

Hedwig hooted and it sounded oddly as if she told him he better not leave her again. This startled a laugh out of Harry and the boy laid down on his bed.

"Trust me, I won't ever abandon you. You're my first friend and the closest thing I had to a family for a long time," he mumbled.  
"Leaving you behind broke my heart and I could be happier than have you back."

He stopped smiling when he caught his own lie. He would have been happier if he had Tom here to share it with.

"Bloody bastard," he mumbled scowling, shaking the thought away.

Tom had betrayed him. Sure, it hadn't been his plan, and his intentions had been good, but Harry wouldn't just forgive him instantly. No. Let him stew for the remainder of the summer. Harry would talk to him at Hogwarts again.

With a sigh, Harry got back up and started taking his clothes off. It was already late and everyone else had already gone to bed. He'd seen Fred and George both go into Fred's room, probably to comfort each other, and Ginny and Ron had been so down and quiet as they shuffled into their own rooms too. Even Hermione had looked upset.

Harry wondered for a moment if Tonks would miss people. He knew that both Sirius and Remus had no one to miss left either. Both had been isolated for the past 15 years. Sirius as a convict, and Remus as a werewolf. They had been outcasts, with no living family to speak of and only each other as friends. But Tonks still had her parents. Would they miss her? Would she miss them? What about Moody, had he left loved ones?

Harry sincerely hoped that everything would work out here. If they could rewrite the past and create a new future, then at least they wouldn't have to worry about those they left behind. Then the heartbreak would only go one way instead of both.


	40. Hello, Grandfather

A week later found Harry at the doorsteps of a mansion at the edge of Tinworth village. It was smaller than the one Sirius had bought for them and entirely different. Nothing like the Malfoy Manor either, from what he had been able to observe during the party. He hadn't gotten much of a chance to admire the building structure back then.

The building here was made of red brick and the roof was a soft sunburned colour. The dark wood windows were large and arched, as was the front door. The front yard was very modest, with a few trees and a small flower bed under the windows. It looked the most cosy place to live that Harry had ever set eyes on. More homey, even, than the Burrow.

As he reached the front door, he wasn't even given the opportunity to ring the bell before the door swung open, seeing the beaming face of an elf. It was wearing a perfectly white towel around itself with the Potter insignia sewn onto the chest and it looked up at him with large, adoring blue eyes.

"Mr. Harry Potter Sir!" the elf squeaked, sounding an awful lot like Dobby.  
"Ducky was told to lead Mr. Harry Potter to the drawing room to the Master and Mistress, sir!"

Harry nodded and allowed the excitable little elf lead him through the hall towards the drawing room. There, he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the 6 people already there and his chest tightened painfully. In his own time, he had been the very last Potter still alive, yet here they were. Family. Actual _family_ related to him by _blood_ , something he didn't think he'd ever have. (the Dursleys didn't count, never had)

"Harry!" Charlus greeted, waving at him with a wide, cheerful grin.

He was sitting next to his wife while a man who looked a lot like him, but with no glasses sat across from him, smiling pleasantly at Harry. That had to be his grandfather, Harry realized with a painful pang. Fleamont Potter and the blond woman next to him had to be Euphemia, Harry's grandmother. Harry noticed with a bitter smile that he had inherited her nose and chin.

"Hey," he greeted them awkwardly.

An elderly woman, in her mid-sixties stood up from her seat and approached Harry. This had to be his great-grandmother, Arielle Potter née Lupin (wasn't that a shock when he heard it? He was related to Remus!) It was obvious both her sons had inherited their soft brown eyes from her, as her husband Henry had blue eyes.

"Welcome, my dear!" the woman gushed, hugging Harry tightly.  
"I'm so very happy to finally meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, aunt," he mumbled, hugging her back.

"Forgive my wife for her forwardness, Harry," Henry Potter chuckled at the sight of Harry's awkward expression.  
"We all were at the Malfoy party and saw what happened. You have to understand that we were all very worried."

Harry's hard sunk in his stomach at that. They'd been there when Voldemort showed up.

"That… man. Is he the one that killed your parents?" Fleamont asked softly.

Harry nodded mutely as he tried to remember the story Alphard had told his family.

"Y-yea… He was a mercenary my dad and-and uncle Sirius were investigating," he said.  
"He killed my mum and dad and tried to kill me too. He… Followed me here for some reason. I guess he doesn't like that someone actually _survived_ an attack of his…"

"You poor dear…" Euphemia mumbled weakly.

"It's… It's alright I guess. I just… hoped that here I'd be safe from him you know?"

Everything fell silent for a moment where the Potters watched Harry with a mix of pity and sympathy. Eventually, Henry couched awkwardly and smiled at Harry.

"So, I heard you're a Seeker for your team?" he started.  
"Are you any good, boy? I was a Seeker myself in my time."

"We won the Cup this year," Harry replied grinning.  
"I was a Seeker in Durmstrang too. Since my first year, actually. They told me I was the youngest Seeker in a century."

"That's my brother's blood!" Henry roared proudly.

Harry chuckled softly at the cheerful outburst and his 'cousins' laughed thunderously as well.

"How is the rest of school going? Did you do good on your OWLs?" Arielle Potter asked.

"Well, I had some help with studying. My friend Hermione is bloody amazing! She's so smart it's insane! And Tom's a real life genius. He doesn't have to study at all to get an Outstanding in every class!"

Harry paused for a second and gave them a mischievous grin.

"I still beat them both at Defence," he told them proudly.

"A true Potter!" Fleamont crowed while Charlus laughed again.

"I doubt I would have made it as far outside Defence without my friends though. But now, I have eight OWLs," Harry added with a grin.

"E-eight?!" Charlus sputtered shocked before turning towards his wife.  
"That's more than you got love!"

"One more, yes," Dorea said shrugging.  
"And it's a very good score. Will you keep them all?"

"I'm dropping Astronomy," Harry replied.  
"I first thought of dropping History and Divination too, but Tom and Hermione talked me out of it."

"Divination?" Euphemia asked surprised.  
"Do you have any talent for it?"

Harry flushed red at the question.

"Well… I did get an E on the subject," he started slowly.  
"And… I… know certain things that are going to happen."

"Really now? Like what?" Charlus asked curiously.

"… Um…" Harry was blushing insanely now as he tried to think of something he could say.  
"The… the muggle war will end in May 1945, and shortly before that Grindelwald starts trying to take over Britain."

Eyes widened in shock at those words.

"… Also… both Charlus and Fleamont will have a son," he continued carefully.  
"It… it might take a while, but please don't give up hope because it _will_ happen."

He said those last words while looking straight at Fleamont and Euphemia, who were staring back wide eyed.

"… We've been trying for three years already," Euphemia whispered.  
"Will… I will be the mother, right?"

"Of course you will!" Fleamont said right away.

"Yeah, I think so," Harry agreed smiling.  
"You will definitely be the mother of the child."

 _Of my father_ , but Harry couldn't say that. Too many people already knew and Harry couldn't risk telling anyone else. Besides, how would they react anyway?

 _'_ _Hello! I'm Harry James Potter! I'm the grandson of Fleamont and Euphemia and me and my friends are here to stop a second Dark Lord from existing. Also, that same Dark Lord followed me back here. And hey! He killed my parents when I was a baby back when we were already the last Potters so you'll all be dead by the time I'm born, sorry.'_

Like that was going to work.

. . . . .

In the following week, Henry seemed to greatly enjoy teaching Harry all the tricks of being a Seeker and he, Harry, Fleamont and Charlus played a few games among each other as well. Though Fleamont had never actually tried out for the team when he was in school, he was a good flyer, which probably came with growing up in a Quidditch-loving family like the Potters.

He was a master duellist and gladly showed Harry a few good curses and counter curses. Euphemia was a quiet introverted woman, much the opposite of the entire Potter family, but she and Fleamont were clearly madly in love with each other and they seemed to balance each other nicely.

Charlus and Dorea were closer to Harry's age than the rest, with only a 6 year difference. They were very friendly and Dorea took her time telling Harry many secrets of the Slytherin dorms and the hierarchy within the student body. In turn, Harry told her about the current state of affair.

"I remember Riddle," Dorea said nodding.  
"I first year when I was Head Girl. Quiet boy. Lonely too."

"Well, he isn't lonely anymore," Harry told her smiling.

At one point in his stay, as Fleamont and Charlus had been duelling while Harry and the others watched, Henry shouting comments and tips at his sons, Arielle had come to sit next to Harry with a deep sigh.

"Sometimes I think that the Potters are cursed to always have sons," she sighed.  
"And other than the Weasleys, I don't feel like having six or eight children just to get one daughter."

Harry chuckled amused at that.

"Did you know it's been three generations since there was a female Potter?" Arielle asked.  
"Henry and your father did not have sisters and their father was an only child."

She smiled kindly at Harry and Harry smiled back. He was truly happy to be a part of this wonderful family. But everything taken in account, they had nothing to Harry's very own family back home in Godric's Hollow.

. . . . .

"Master Riddle… sir?" the fearful house elf squeaked.  
"Mistress wishes to know if Master Riddle will come down to dinner tonight."

"No," Tom spoke coldly.  
"Have my dinner brought up again."

The elf bowed deeply and wanted to pop away, but the teenage Dark Lord held up his hand. Tipsy stayed put, waiting patiently and terrified as Tom finished writing his letter before turning towards the elf again. He had about a dozen letters in his hands and he handed them over to the trembling little creature.

"Take these to the owlery and make sure all of them are send on their way," he commanded.  
"And tell Alphard he has to stop leaving notes under the door. I won't be leaving this room no matter how obnoxious he is."

"Y-yes Master Riddle! Tipsy will tell Master Alphard right away, sir!"

Tom watched as the elf popped away and sighed. He had already messaged all his followers about the threat Voldemort now posed. They had to be warned of this new danger especially, since he didn't doubt Voldemort would try to sway them to his side instead. It would be what he'd do at least.

* * *

 ** _A bit shorter than usual, but I've been having a hard time writing this story in particular for the past few weeks and now school started again too…_**


	41. Back to School

**I know it's been a while since I updated and I'm sorry! I was really preoccupied with another story of mine, called Prince of Clowns. If you haven't checked that out yet and you like a story with an insane and/or evil Harry, please do! I've gotten a lot of positive reviews on it :)**

 **Also, while I'm advertising, I would like to recommend Gittiekittie's Harry in Slytherin series. I beta it and it's pretty great. Year one is completely finished and I know for a fact that she is very busy writing year two. I'm sure you'll love it. I'm actually writing a story that happens in the same universe as her Harry in Slytherin about Tom Riddle. It's called A Knight's Life.**

* * *

The Blacks were all terrified. Tom was standing a few paces away from the collection of dark haired pureblood teens, his expression murderous even as he stared at the train. It was unusual to see Tom like this. He usually was in such a good mood when he went back to school, but not this time. And it was all because of Harry.

Tom had done a _good_ thing! He had _saved_ Harry and how was he repaid?! By being kicked out of the bloody house! The ungrateful little fuck had send him away like dirt. Like he wasn't _worth_. But Tom knew better. If there was anyone not worth, it was Harry. He would be great and powerful, _was_ great and powerful. He would be immortal.

"Let's-let's get on the train," Alphard mumbled.  
"I bet the other Prefects are already waiting for you…"

Tom huffed and turned away. He climbed into the train without acknowledging any of his friends and entered an empty carriage. The others didn't dare to join him. Ever since the party fiasco, Tom had been in a foul mood that was even scarier than when he left back for the orphanage.

"No one will ever treat me like dirt again," he muttered to himself.  
"I may not be Lord Voldemort, but I will be _great_!"

. . . . .

Harry was positively glowing as he walked up platform 9 ¾. Hedwig was perched on his shoulder and his three best friends were walking beside him, chatting happily among each other. Sirius and Tonks were both in the teacher's lounge in the front of the train, as the metamorphmagus had applied for the now open spot as Transfigurations Teacher and had been hired.

"I can't believe Fred and George managed to become the new owners of the Hogsmeade Zonko's shop," Ginny muttered.

"And who would have thought Remus would help them out willingly," Hermione chuckled, shaking her head.  
"He had always seemed to be such a serious teacher…"

"Don't forget he was a Marauder," Harry told her grinning.

"This looks to be the start of a great year!" Ron said happily.

Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement, but Ginny scowled.

"You're forgetting we have now _two_ Voldemorts to worry about now," she reminded them.

"Tom is _not_ Voldemort and he never will," Harry replied scowling.

"Says _you_!" Ginny spat.

"No. Says _he_."

Ginny huffed and looked away with a scowl.

"Well, I still don't trust him," she muttered.

Harry sighed but didn't reply as he and the others stepped into the train. They immediately sought out their friends, and Alphard was quick to pull Hermione in his lap, kissing her cheek playfully as she scolded him for it. Ron just laughed and sat down next to Megan, throwing an arm over her shoulder, grinning widely.

"Move over," Ginny demanded, forcing herself between Dimitri and Dolohov, who both complained but still let her.

Harry grinned at the group of people, but soon started scowling as he noticed Tom was missing.

"He went to sit alone again," Alphard told him as he saw Harry's expression.  
"He's been in a sour mood ever since that fiasco at the Malfoys…"

"I'll talk to him," Harry sighed, feeling suddenly very guilty.

He had planned on writing Tom sooner, but with everything going on it had slipped his mind. First he had stayed with the Potters and after that there was the whole thing with integrating Remus and Tonks in this time. They had to look for a job and preferably a place to live too, though Remus had chosen to remain at Godric's Hollow and become the twins' silent partner.

Harry waved at his friends and told them he'd see them again shortly before he went looking for Tom with Alphard's instructions. Once he found it, he tried to open it, but found it locked. Harry sighed. He had expected that of course, but he still had to try.

"Tom?" he called out, knocking.  
"It's me. Can I come in?"

It took a while, and Harry was about ready to try and use a spell when the door finally slid open and Tom glared through the crack at him.

"What do you want?" the young Dark Lord spat.

"Talk," Harry replied.  
"Can I come in, please?"

The older boy huffed and stepped away from the door, sitting back down in his seat next to an opened textbook on Arithmancy and continued glaring at Harry.

"You think you can just walk into this compartment and all will be forgiven?" Tom asked frostily.

Harry frowned and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared back at his boyfriend.

"What do you have to forgive me for?" he asked annoyed.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, as Tom rose from his seat and loomed over Harry – damn him for being so tall, and damn the Dursleys for underfeeding him so he stayed so short – with eyes burning with cold fury. If Harry were a lesser man, he'd be cowering in fear at the moment.

" _You_ _kicked me out after I saved your life and refused any contact with me for the rest of the summer!_ "

Alright… So maybe Tom had some kind of point there… Still, he didn't have to be like this. Harry had a difficult time this past month! He couldn't be expected to not freak out about Voldemort actually _traveling through time_ to kill him.

"Yes, because obviously I was just being childish for being upset that the man that's been trying to kill me since I was _born_ just travelled _53 years back in time_ just so he could actually do just that!" he hissed.  
"I was definitely overreacting when I got upset that that same man now knows I have a piece of his soul inside me. That same man that was _already_ obsessed with me. And it was silly of me to prioritize _that tiny thing_ over making my boyfriend comfortable."

"I could have helped!" Tom seethed.  
"If you hadn't send me away, I could have helped!"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"You're the smart one, aren't you?" he said sarcastically.  
"Sure, I could have been more tactful about it, but you would have had to leave anyway. Remus and Tonks still only know Tom Marvolo Riddle as the person who turned into Voldemort. With you there, we would have had a harder time catching them up. Tonks' mother is a Black who was kicked out of the family after marrying a muggleborn, she has bad experiences with dark wizards."

Tom frowned unhappily and sat back down on his seat before motioning Harry to sit across from him.

"I guess there is some merit to that," he muttered reluctantly.  
"But that doesn't excuse you from not writing me even once."

"I'm sorry. I must have missed the hordes of letters you send me then."

The two boys glared at each other for a few seconds before Tom cracked a smile. Harry was quick to allow the grin that had been wanting to break through for a little while now to spread across his own face as well.

"It looks like we're at an impasse," Tom sighed amused.

"The woes of two stubborn people dating, I guess," Harry chuckled.

"So Harry, do you forgive me?" Tom asked.

"Of course. What you did was probably the best anyway," Harry replied smiling.

"'Probably'," Tom snorted.

Harry rolled his eyes again and smirked at Tom.

"And do you forgive me?" he asked.

Tom hummed in thought and tapped his chin before shaking his head.

"I don't think so, no," he decided.

Harry rolled his eyes and Tom smirked amused, pulling Harry in his lap.

"But I do know what you can do to make me forgive you again," he whispered.

Harry chuckled and leaned down to capture Tom's lips with his own. Almost immediately, Tom grabbed Harry and pulled him down to deepen the kiss. The younger teen's mouth opened in a yelp of surprise, and Tom took advantage of the opportunity to press his tongue inside.

Harry's yelp turned into a moan and he melted against Tom, grabbing the older teen's shoulders to steady himself as Tom's hands grabbed him around his waist. The kiss was heaven and the longer they stayed like that, the more they both got into it.

Harry had no idea when he started rocking on Tom's lap or when he started feeling a hardness poking his arse. Not that he was completely unaffected, as he too was sporting an erection from the hot kiss. Their tongues danced together passionately and desperately. He wasn't even bothered when Tom's hands found their way in the back of his pants and squeezed his arse.

Harry moaned and put his hands under Tom's shirt. In retaliation to the squeezing, Harry raked his nails over the sensitive skin of the older teen's belly. Tom pulled away from the kiss and hissed while Harry leaned down some more and kissed Tom's neck before gently sucking on his skin. He couldn't help but smirk against the soft skin when Tom moaned. He loved knowing how he affected the older teen. Bloody smug bastard wasn't as unmoving as he liked to think.

"Harry! Are you- Bloody Hell!"

Harry toppled off Tom with a yelp in surprise and landed on the floor. At the door into the compartment stood a furiously blushing Ron. His blue eyes were wide and mortified as he stared at his best friend now sitting on the ground. Behind him was Summer Tate, snickering amuser.

"That's the second time I catch you two indisposed," the 7th year said smirking.

"I swear you have a bloody sixth sense to pop up at the worst time, Summer!" Harry exclaimed.

The girl started laughing at that while Ron turned even redder and sputtered. Harry stood back up and straightened his clothes out before he sat down next to Tom, who was smirking at the two intruders. He wrapped one arm around Harry's shoulders and pulled him closer to him.

"I think that is the main reason miss Tate made Head Girl," he said amused.

"Really? Congratulations!" Harry said cheerfully, grinning at Summer.

"Better watch out, Mr. Riddle, Mr. Potter. I'll be using my 'sixth sense' to the best of my abilities this year," Summer said, winking.

. . . . .

The start of term feast was as grand and cheerful as ever. Harry was happy to see all of his friends again, and seeing Tonks up at the teacher's table was only making Harry feel happier.

"Congratulations, Eileen and Amarilicus for making Prefects," Tom said, lifting his glass of butter beer.

"And of course, we're all very happy you and Harry worked everything out again," Nicolas added.

The 7th year ticked Tom's glass with his own before Harry gave a laugh and did the same.

"I bet the Blacks are _very_ happy you made up again," Megan said smirking.

Tom's pleasant smile had melted with Nicolas' exclamation and now he was glaring at the brunette beauty as she lifted her own cup and clinked it with a laughing Rosier and Avery. Harry laughed again and turned towards Alphard, who was chuckling as well.

"Sorry that I stuck you with him," he said smirking.  
"I hope Tom wasn't too depressive."

"He had to leave his room to bum anyone out," Alphard replied amused.

Everyone laughed and Tom huffed annoyed. He pulled Harry closer and pressed his face in the other teen's neck, breathing in his scent as Harry laughed happily at the ticklish feeling.

"You should be a bit nicer to me, Harry," Tom murmured.

"I was nice in the train, but when we were interrupted, it flew out the window!"

Tom sat back up and pouted at Harry.

"I don't think I like Ron much anymore."


	42. The Basilisk

"Can you please tell me why we're here exactly?" Harry asked as Tom led him through the Chamber of Secrets.

It was midnight, so Harry was both tired and a little grumpy that Tom had just woken him up and dragged him out to this place. Tom knew Harry didn't have any fond memories about the place and he really would have liked it better if he never had to see it again. He wouldn't have come at all if Tom hadn't looked so excited for some reason.

"I just wanted to share this with you, since we're both Parselmouths," Tom replied grinning.  
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know! The ability was so long believed to have died out."

"Yeah. We can both talk to snakes, great," Harry muttered before he tensed.  
"… Wait… You-you're not expecting me to bloody _talk_ to the Basilisk, right?"

Tom smirked and stopped in front of the statue of Salazar Slytherin. Instead of replying, he turned to look at the large statue and spread his arms wide in a dramatic stance.

 ** _*Speak to me Slytherin, Greatest of Hogwarts Four!*_** he hissed.

Harry winced and took a step back as the statue opened up to let the giant being that resided behind it out. His shoulders tensed automatically and he was immediately ready for a fight if it came for that. His fight or flight instinct was on point, and already, the fight part was winning.

"Relax a little, Harry. She won't do anything to you," Tom told him calmly.

 ** _*Masssster,*_** the mighty serpent hissed.

 ** _*Shield your eyes, Seraphina. I have brought company,*_** Tom hissed at her with a small smile.

 ** _*Hello,*_** Harry greeted wearily.

He still didn't look straight at the Basilisk's face, but neither did he look away. He wanted to be ready when it – _she_ – struck. The large serpent cocked her head a little in curiosity and her tongue slithered out to taste the air near Harry, making the teen flinch back.

 ** _*It sssspeakssss but isssss not of the blood. How?*_** she asked confused.

 ** _*Because he is my mate, dear Seraphina,*_** Tom replied amused.  
 ** _*Do you not agree that I deserve another speaker by my side?*_**

The serpent swatted with her tail and leaned down closer to Harry to get a better look or smell of him. After looking at Tom for a second, Harry straightened up and stood his ground as the large being pressed her nose against his arm. He had defeated her once before. If he really had to, he was sure he'd be able to do it again… Even without the Sword of Gryffindor.

 ** _*I find him ssssatissssfactory,*_** the majestic snake hissed regally.

. . . . .

"Alright. I've met the in-laws. Can I go back to bed now?" Harry asked teasingly as the snake retreated back to her nest.

Tom chuckled and grabbed Harry's hand in his own.

"I was actually hoping to get you to join in on a little project," he started, caressing the back of Harry's hand with his thumb.

Harry was immediately back to being suspicious.

"What kind of project?" he asked warily.

"I want to clean up the Chamber," Tom said.  
"Perhaps we can make it our own little place… Our Love Nest of sorts."

Harry laughed amused and leaned in to peck Tom on the lips.

"Alright. I'll help with that," he said with a chuckle.  
"But don't think I'm having sex in this place ever! Not with that giant snake watching."

. . . . .

"You look really tired," Michael pointed out the next morning.

Harry glared at the other sixth year over the rim of his coffee cup.

"Blame Tom. He's the one that kept me up all night," he muttered.

Ron, who had joined them at the Slytherin table along with Ginny and Hermione, choked in his pancakes while Alphard, Megan, Avery, Dimitri and Nicolas all burst out laughing. It took a few seconds for Harry's sleep-riddled mind to catch up with what he had said and he turned a bright shade of red immediately.

"All night, huh?" Nicolas snickered.  
"No wonder you're so tired then!"

"Good job Tom!" Mulciber cackled.

"Oh yes. I definitely worked Harry _hard,"_ the evil teen said smirking.

" _Tom!_ " Harry yelped, making the others all laugh even more.

"Didn't I?" Tom asked him innocently.

"Not in the way they're thinking!"

"Ah. Then what are they thinking?" Tom asked mischievously.

Harry rolled his eyes. He knew Tom was just trying to rile him up, but two could play that game. Smirking, he leaned closer to Tom, batting his eyes innocently.

"The way that would have happened on the train if Ron and Summer hadn't shown up."

All mirth was gone in an instant and Tom turned his head to glare spitefully at Ron, who went from bright red to sickly pale in an instant.

"I will ruin you for this, Weasley," he growled darkly.

. . . . .

"If he's going to kill me, I'm haunting you, mate," Ron muttered under his breath as he and Harry sat together in Care for Magical Creatures.

Harry smirked at his friend and shrugged.

"He won't," he said simply.

"Says _you_! You made it sound as if I cock-blocked you two on purpose!"

Several of the other students that stood around them looked over and the two friends shut up. They both looked away with bright, embarrassed blushes at the angry glare of their Professor. Maybe the middle of class wasn't the best moment to discuss Harry's love life…

. . . . .

It had been Harry's idea to bring some help down to the Chamber and Tom, who had been stingy on who could be allowed and who wasn't, was still grinning just like Harry was at the wide eyed stupor of both Alphard and Hermione. It was warranted of course, as Tom and Harry had been making some progress in the past month in cleaning the place up.

"So this is the Chamber," Alphard mumbled awed.

"The Basilisk won't show itself, right?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Not unless I summon her," Tom replied smirking.  
"But I won't. That would be highly counterproductive."

Hermione and Alphard looked at each other for a moment.

"Right. Why are we here again?" Alphard asked.

"Because this place is too big to clean with just the two of us," Harry replied.  
"And because Tom didn't want any of the others down here to help."

"I don't trust them enough," Tom agreed.

"And I don't want Ron and Gin down here for obvious reasons," Harry added.

Hermione nodded grimly. They all had bad memories of this place, but the Weasley family especially. This was the place where Ginny almost lost her life after all.

"Let's get to cleaning then!" Alphard said cheerfully, clapping his hands together.

"Yes," Tom agreed, pulling a map out of his robes and showing it to the others.  
"Harry and I found this when we cleared some rubble and uncovered what appeared to have been Salazar Slytherin's private study. He must have made this to allow his descendants to better find their way around."

"Wicked!" Alphard exclaimed amazed.

"What's even better is that there is supposed to be another exit leading into the Forbidden Forest!" Harry said cheerfully.  
"If we can clear that up, then Seraphina won't be needing to hunt students anymore and feed from there!"

"We should start with that, then," Hermione decided.

Tom and Harry smirked at her.

"We were thinking the same thing," Tom said.  
"And after that we'll clean up the secret pathways leading all underneath the school."

With that, the two walked towards where the map showed the path towards the Forbidden Forest, leaving Alphard and Hermione to stare wide eyed at their backs.

"W-wait! _There are secret passage ways I don't know about?!_ " Alphard exclaimed.

"You act like you know all of them," Hermione scoffed.

"Well, according to Sirius, I do!" Alphard cried out, looking absolutely horrified.

Hermione sighed and smiled fondly at the distraught boy.

"If only you put as much effort in your studies…"

. . . . .

By the time Halloween came around, the four friends had cleaned up most of the Chamber, and Harry had gotten to know Seraphina a bit better as well. In fact, he really had started to like the magnificent creature, which why he was hiding in the Chamber for the day, comfortably borrowed between the mighty coils of Seraphina's body.

Slytherin was holding another party, but Harry was in no mood to celebrate. Halloween held too many bad memories for him, even if Tom had given him a lot of happy ones now too. Still, with Voldemort back, he couldn't help but feel incredibly paranoid.

 ** _*Mate issss unhappy. Issss it Hatchling?*_** Seraphina asked in a curious hiss.  
 ** _*Issss the mating not good? Isssss it unssssatisssssfying?*_**

 ** _*T-that's not it,*_** Harry said quicky, blushing.

 ** _*Issss it Hatchling who isssss inssssatisssssfied?*_**

A loud, melodious laughter filled the room and Harry looked up startled. His eyes widened when he saw Tom approach them, Hedwig relaxing peacefully on his shoulder, staring at Harry with intelligent yellow eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" Harry asked shocked.  
"Shouldn't you be at the party? I bet you're missed."

"So are you. Which is why I went looking for you," Tom replied shrugging, making Hedwig fly up with an annoyed hoot.  
"I went to the owlery first to see if you were visiting Hedwig, and when I didn't find you there, she joined me in my further quest to find my wayward boyfriend."

Harry laughed and Tom gave a teasing grin before he looked at the Basilisk.

 ** _*My mate does not dissatisfy at all, Seraphina,*_** he said.  
 ** _*He is upset because he is being hunted by a dangerous man.*_**

 ** _*Sssssomeone huntsssss Hatchilng'ssss mate?!*_** she cried furiously, rearing up in rage.  
 ** _*I will rip and tear the one to harm Mate! I will eat them whole!*_**

Harry felt his heart warm with the protectiveness Seraphina showed towards him, even if it was only because he was Tom's lover. It still meant a lot to him. He grinned and held out his arm to let Hedwig land on him before he looked over to Tom, who looked sceptical.

 ** _*The hunter is another Speaker. One of the blood,*_** he said.

 ** _*Doesssss Hatchling have a sssssibling?*_** the Basilisk asked confused.

Tom smirked.

 ** _*I do. But I do not like him,*_** he said.  
 ** _*He wants to kill my mate, so I will kill him instead.*_**

The massive snake nodded her giant head gravely.

 ** _*Even if it issss a Sssspeaker of the blood, I am loyal to my Hatchling,*_** she said.  
 ** _*If thissss Sssspeaker harmssss Mate, I will let them tasssste my fangssss!*_**

Tom smirked and looked over at Harry.


	43. Christmas Time is Coming

When the letter came a week before Christmas, Harry was ecstatic to read that the Potters had invited him over for the break. He had been grinning all day long when he heard that, and Sirius enjoyed making fun of him a great deal.

It was weekend, and after breakfast, they were all allowed to visit Hogsmeade. Of course, Harry and friends immediately took to Zonko's to visit the twins along with Summer, who made a beeline for Fred and latched onto him with a grin. She was talking happily about everything going on at school before offering help with the shop.

"They really made something of this place," Ron said grinning.

"I'm going to see if George needs any help," Ginny said with a cheerful smile.

She skipped away and Dimitri started trailing after her like a puppy. Dolohov, Nott and Orion went as well, whispering to each other about how their friend was so clearly smitten with the fierce redheaded Gryffindor girl.

"I heard you're going to visit the Potters again this break," Hermione said to Harry with a bright smile.

She was holding hands with Alphard while she looked at her best friend, who had Tom's arm wrapped tight around his waist. Ron had walked off a few moments ago when he noticed Megan had gotten interested in something further towards the back.

"Yeah! It's amazing, isn't it?" Harry said grinning.  
"Two years ago my only relatives hated me, and now I have such a big, loving family!"

"Talking about us?" Fred asked, walking past.

"Of course he is!" George laughed.

George walked up to Harry and gave him a peck on his cheek before walking off again, laughing loudly in amusement at the hiss coming from Tom. Harry too laughed and looked over his shoulder to his deeply scowling boyfriend.

"I can ask if you could come too," he suggested.

"And what would I do there?" Tom snorted.  
"No, you should have some quality time with your family, but not before you go on a date with me."

. . . . .

The Hogwarts Express would leave on Saturday morning, but on Friday afternoon, the Slytherin 6th years had no classes left either. Most of the others spend this time packing or in the library, trying to get ahead of their Christmas homework. Harry and Tom on the other hand, spend this time in the Chamber of secrets. They spend a lot of their free time down there lately, though Harry wasn't one to complain about that fact. He actually really enjoyed the Basilisk's presence. She was intelligent and witty and even grasped the concept of sarcasm surprisingly well.

Tom was leading Harry though the large, now entirely cleared up pathway that lead out into the Forbidden Forest. The older teen was grinning smugly, making Harry scowl confused. He wondered what Tom was planning. Of course, when he asked, Tom just told him it was a surprise, which really didn't do anything but frustrate Harry by heightening his curiosity.

"Is this about that date you really wanted to go on?" Harry asked as they reached the end of the tube.

They crawled out into the Forest. It was a few miles away from the school, far out of the wards and if Harry remembered it right, pretty much in the middle of the Centaur territory.

"It is," Tom replied smirking, grabbing Harry's hand.  
"Hold on tight. This might cause some dizziness."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the ground disappear from underneath his feet. It was as if he was squeezed through a straw. Then, suddenly, there was ground again and Harry stumbled, grabbing at his stomach as he heaved.

"'Some dizziness' he says," he muttered, doubling over.

"The unfortunate side-effect of apparating," Tom laughed.

At the mention of apparating, Harry straightened up and looked around. They were in a small muggle town, for as far as he could see. Scowling, he turned towards Tom to look for answers.

"I came here once on an outing with the Orphanage," Tom explained shrugging sheepishly.  
"There's a beach a bit further down, but what I remember the most is this quaint little restaurant that serves some very good fish and chips."

Harry smiled and kissed Tom on the lips.

"How very romantic," he said.

"You almost sound surprised," Tom scoffed teasingly.  
"Come. I spared up some money to be able to take you out."

Harry's eyes widened and he started walking with Tom towards a very inviting looking building that said 'Hallowell's Restaurant'.

"You don't have to!" he said hurried.  
"I can pay for myself… and you. I don't mind."

Tom smiled at him.

"But I do mind," he replied.  
"Today it's my turn to pay."

And pay Tom did. There was a cinema in the town, one which hadn't been there yet when Tom had last visited, and while Harry offered to at least pay for their tickets, Tom declined and took Harry to see a Thriller. They had a lot of fun, as neither of them had ever before gone to the cinema before, and Harry was very happy he could share the moment with his boyfriend.

"I knew it was Dora from the moment he was dead," Tom announced smugly as they walked down the street towards the restaurant.

"No you didn't!" Harry laughed.

Tom chuckled and walked ahead to jovially open the door of Hallowell's Restaurant for Harry, who grinned and entered. They picked a booth in the back of the place, where they could sit together and talk in peace.

"You're really going all out today, Tom," Harry said.  
"I'm almost scared to ask if there's a catch to all this."

Tom gasped dramatically and pressed a hand to his chest.

"A catch!? I'm offended that you even thought of it!"

Harry laughed and leaned over to kiss Tom on the cheek, but the older teen turned his head on the last moment and it quickly turned into a full out make-out session that eventually ended with a little awkward chough from their waitress.

"Would you like to order, or are you just going to keep trying to eat each other?" a girl in her early twenties, with her blond hair tied in a tight bun.

She was glaring at the two of them in disgust and looked like she would rather be literally anywhere else than at their table taking their order of food.

"Can't we do both?" Tom asked innocently.

Harry laughed at the look of horror on the waitress's face and smirked.

"Maybe we can order one serving, Love," he told Tom.  
"I'll feed you every bite, it'll be wonderfully romantic!"

"I love the way you think, Honey," Tom replied smiling sweetly.  
"But let's not be too cheap. We can still order two plates and feed each other."

Harry grinned and turned to look at the waitress again, who looked about ready to throw up.

"I'm such a lucky guy," he told her.  
"He's got the looks, the brains, and he's generous too! I really wonder why I deserved him sometimes."

"Shouldn't we order, Darling?" Tom suggested kindly.  
"I'm sure she has other tables to attend than just ours."

Harry and Tom looked around the nearly empty restaurant and shrugged at each other.

"I'll have the fish and chips, then," Harry ordered.  
"With a pop, please."

"I'll have the same, thanks," Tom said smiling.

The waitress nodded stiffly and walked away with the order. When she was gone, Tom turned to Harry and raised a brow.

"'I wonder why I deserved him sometimes'?" he asked amused.

"Too subtle?" Harry asked innocently.

Tom snorted and shook his head.

"You're terrible," he said with laughter in his voice.

"You love me for it," Harry shot back smiling.

. . . . .

It took only a few minutes before their food arrived, brought to them by the same waitress as before, only now she was smiling sweetly at them. Her bun was now switched for a loose ponytail that bounced with every step she took as if it had a life of its own.

"Two servings of fish and chips and pop," she said brightly, putting down the plates.  
"Have a great meal!"

With a last happy smile, the girl walked away. Tom and Harry watched her go with dual frowns.

"That was a very drastic change in personality," Harry muttered.

"She spit in our food," Tom deducted quickly, scowling in distaste.

Harry laughed and took a bite of the fish.

"That or her boss told her off for being rude."

"No. She definitely did something," Tom disagreed.  
"It might be poisonous. She wants us dead. I can feel it."

"You're such a paranoid moron," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Just to prove a point, Harry ate a few chips and moaned in appreciation.

"You really know how to pick them, Tom!" he said.  
"And I'm still alive too, so that's a pretty big bonus."

He laughed cheerfully as Tom blushed in embarrassment.

"Alright, maybe I was overreacting a little," he admitted.

"Of course you were-…" Harry started, only to fall silent when he started feeling dizzy.

"But honestly, can you blame me?" Tom asked, not noticing Harry's sudden silence.  
"With everything going on, I can't help but expect an attempt on either of our lives at any moment."

Harry tried to concentrate on Tom's words and how his hands looked while squeezing the lemon out over his fish, but everything looked murky and vague, as if he was looking at the other teen through water. It was very disconcerting.

He looked over to door towards the kitchen, hoping to catch the waitress and call her over. She just walked back out, giving Harry an insight into the kitchen, where the same waitress was lying on the ground with glassy eyes wide open in horror. Harry swallowed and grabbed Tom's wrist, stopping him from taking that first bite.

"Don't… eat…" he muttered with difficulty.

Holding up his arm became too heavy a task after that and he dropped his hand on the table. The world was spinning around and he could feel himself sliding off the chair but was unable to keep himself from falling.

"Harry!" Tom shouted, catching him just in time.

A high pitch, shrieking laugh rung through the restaurant. Tom looked up, and Harry saw how his boyfriend's expression turned dark.

" _You_!" he growled hatefully.

Harry looked over to what Tom was staring at and noticed the waitress, only now she had black hair. A large mass of black curls and she was grinning madly. Dark eyes glittered with evil delight underneath heavy eyelids that made Harry's chest tighten in horror.

"… B-Bella… trix," he mumbled weakly.

There was a darkness creeping in the corners of his eyes, steadily growing larger. He still saw the door to the kitchen swing open and several more figures walked into the room. Everything had gotten too dark and dizzying for Harry to be able to really recognize anything, though he still thought he recognized the angry hiss next to him as Tom.

"Voldemort," the voice he thought was Tom growled.

"How delightful to see you again, Tom," another familiar voice hissed amused.

Harry closed his eyes. This wasn't good.

* * *

 **I know chapters have been getting kind of short lately, and I apologize for that. I'll try to make the next ones longer again :)**


	44. Riddle Manor

The bag over Tom's head was taken off and he blinked a few times against the sudden bright light of the room. He was in a lavish dining room in some kind of mansion. His hands bound to the armrests of the dining chair he was seated on. He was seated at the head of the table, with Voldemort sitting across from him and a large meal between the two of them.

"Where's Harry?" Tom asked immediately.

He was fairly certain that Voldemort hadn't killed him, but it was still a possibility. After all, Voldemort had no doubt other Horcruxes than only Harry. At least the Diary, though that one would no longer be of use, as Tom hadn't made it.

The man stopped eating for a moment to look at him before looking back down at his plate filled with chicken, boiled potatoes and apple sauce.

"Eat," Voldemort said instead of answering.  
"I interrupted your adorable dinner date before you could, after all."

Tom narrowed his eyes and curled his bound hands into fists. Was this man serious? His hands were tied to the rests of the seat and Harry was nowhere to be found! Even if he was physically capable of eating, how could he without knowing what happened to his boyfriend?

"Where is Harry," he repeated through gritted teeth.

With a sigh, Voldemort put down his knife and fork and gave Tom a piercing stare.

"He's upstairs in one of the rooms, still unconscious," he said.  
"You won't see him again anytime soon, but he's alive. Now eat."

"Rather hard with bound hands," Tom sneered.

Voldemort laughed and brandished his wand, the same one that Tom had held right before the man had disarmed him and cast a Full-Body Bind Curse on him back at the restaurant. The same one he had used to disarm him. It was odd to see it like that, worn by decades of use and glinting menacingly in his older self's hands. With a little swipe, his hands were freed and Tom slowly lifted them to take the cutlery in hand, his eyes never leaving Voldemort's face.

He carefully cut a piece of the chicken breast and took a bite. Voldemort smiled at him like a father would to a stubborn child that finally gave in and started eating again as well. Tom wanted to kill him.

"Why am I here?" he asked.  
"In fact, where is here anyway?"

"We're in Little Hangleton," Voldemort replied.  
"And this is Riddle Manor."

Tom's eyes widened and he dropped his knife with a clatter. Voldemort smirked.

"Imagine my shock when I came here and found our father still very much alive," the man said.  
"You were meant to have killed him last summer after all, but as I arrived here, he was still alive."

"I never had a reason to kill him," Tom replied scowling.

Voldemort chuckled and laced his long spidery fingers under his chin as he kept looking at Tom. Tom hated the way his older self smirked so smug and self-assured. He wanted to smash the infuriating expression off his face.

"I suppose neither had I the first time around. Not at first," Voldemort murmured.  
"When I found out that my father was still alive, I was so very excited. I thought perhaps he doesn't know I exist. Perhaps he never knew mother was with child, or he thought I had died with her. I didn't even care that he was a dirty muggle."

Something heavy and uncomfortable rested in his chest at those words. It was different than the discomfort he felt whenever the older version of himself was nearby. This was dread. Horror perhaps even. He didn't like it. He wanted to tell Voldemort to shut up, but something told him he was supposed to hear this, so he stayed quiet.

"When I arrived here, he and our grandparents were sitting at this very table, eating dinner," Voldemort continued.  
"I believe it was the exact same meal as well. Our father sat right where you are currently seated. He was quite shocked to see my face. We quite inherited his looks, so there was no way he could possibly have mistaken me for anyone else."

Tom looked down and gritted his teeth. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. Many of the Orphanage kids liked to tell him that he was unwanted by his own father. He didn't want to hear the confirmation.

"I tried to explain who I was, and our father panicked," Voldemort said calmly.  
"He shouted, screamed at me to leave at once, that he didn't want me, or my mother. He said that he had hoped I had died with her when he left us alone and penniless in the streets of London. He called me an unwanted bastard."

Tom swallowed and tried to keep his tears back. The same words Billy Stubbs always enjoyed taunting him with most. With the way Voldemort was staring at him, it was obvious that the man knew exactly what was going through his head. He _really_ wanted to kill him.

"Let me guess, you killed them then," he said blankly, proud that he was able to keep the shaking out of his voice.

Voldemort just smiled pleasantly at him and started poking his apple sauce. He wasn't in the slightest bit impressed with Tom. To him, the teen was just a child he needed to show patience with. Tom hated him with everything he had.

"We have an uncle living across the street," Voldemort said.  
"… Well, ' _had'_ would be more accurate currently. Morfin Gaunt. A pureblood descendant of Slytherin himself. He, as well as our grandfather Marvolo and our mother, Merope, were all practically squibs. Merope Gaunt was lucky to have a talent for Potions, but Morfin had no redeeming qualities."

"You killed him too," Tom noted darkly.  
"Just this time or also when you were me?"

Voldemort laughed.

"Only this time. Originally, I had him blamed for killing the Riddles and he wasted away in Azkaban just like his father before him."

Tom nodded in understanding. He couldn't say he was sorry about the fate of Morfin Gaunt or the Riddles. From what Voldemort told him, he already knew that it would be exactly like he himself would have reacted. He didn't mourn them. Instead, he mourned for himself. That man before him was his future after all. A shadow of power. A man driven insane by his own desires. If Harry hadn't shown up, he'd be well on his way to become this monster.

"You seem upset, Tom," Voldemort noted amused.

"I was merely thinking that I am very lucky," Tom replied smoothly.

"Oh?" Voldemort asked, raising a brow.

Tom smirked.

"Yes. If Harry hadn't shown up, I would have been much worse for wear," he said calmly.  
"I might even have turned into you. Well, no maybe about it I suppose. Still, I'm glad he stopped me."

All amusement that had been on Voldemort's face earlier was wiped away instantly and he glared at Tom.

"I am the most powerful wizard alive!" he hissed.

"You almost died at the hands of an infant," Tom replied coldly.  
"You tried to kill Harry for _years_ now. Got close to him on several instances and still failed to notice what he was. You're _pathetic_."

Voldemort jumped up from his seat and swiped his plate off the table before aiming his wand aggressively at Tom. The teen didn't even flinch as he stared blankly at Voldemort. He wouldn't try anything. Killing Tom would be like committing suicide. He needed Tom in one piece and willing to become him, otherwise he'd simply stop existing.

" _I am Lord Voldemort!_ " the man raged.  
"Even Dumbledore fell at my wand! The boy lived by mere _chance_!"

Tom cocked his head, looking entirely unimpressed. He could see how it frustrated Voldemort and he smirked inwardly at being able to anger his counterpart. Merlin, his older self was terribly emotionally unstable. He felt ashamed by proxy. At least he was able to keep his anger and hatred from showing.

"Do you even know what the boy is meant for?" Voldemort asked in a hiss.  
" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...'_ Does that perhaps sound familiar to you?"

Tom's eyes widened, but he quickly shook it off again.

"It has nothing to do with me," he said in a flat tone.

"Of course it does!" Voldemort hissed angrily.

"No. Because I have no intentions to become a Dark Lord," Tom replied smirking.  
"I told you already, didn't I? I won't become you, no matter what. Harry already vanquished you, you just don't know it yet."

Voldemort was positively shaking in rage. He was gripping his wand so tightly Tom was surprised it hadn't snapped in two yet. Then, suddenly, Voldemort threw his head back and started laughing. Tom could feel shivers run down his spine at the high pitched sound oozing of insanity.

"You will," Voldemort said after he calmed down a bit again.  
"Harry will abandon you and once he does, you will become me."

With that, he turned around and swept out of the room, leaving Tom behind to rage in solitude.

. . . . .

Hermione, Ron and Ginny were all waiting at the train station for the others. It was starting to cut it close, but neither Harry or any of their Slytherin friends had yet shown up. It started to get them nervous.

"Did they all just decide to stay at school over the holidays?" Ron asked annoyed.  
"I know Meg is, and so are Michael and Tom, but at least Harry should show up, right?"

"Alphard is going home too," Hermione mumbled scowling.

"And Dolohov, Dimitri, Nicolas and Mulciber," Ginny counted off.

"Everything alright?" Sirius asked as he walked up to them.  
"The train's leaving in a minute. Why aren't you getting in?"

"Because Harry's still not here," Ginny replied scowling.

Sirius frowned and looked back at the castle. He grinned when he saw a group of teens running towards them.

"That'll be them!" he said cheerfully.  
"They're cutting it short, but-…"

He stopped talking when Alphard skidded to a halt in front of them, looking frantic. Megan, Dolohov and the Lestrange brothers were right behind him.

"Have you guys seen Tom and Harry?" Alphard asked them.  
"They weren't in their beds this morning!"

"We've searched the entire castle!" Megan added worried.

"Mulciber and the others are searching the Forbidden Forest now," Nicolas added.

"Orion and Cygnus are still in the dungeons, waiting to see if they show up, but so far nothing!" Dolohov said panicked.

During the entire ramble, the eyes of Hermione, Sirius and the two Weasleys had been growing wide. Where could Harry and Tom have gone off to? Sirius turned pale.

"The date," he muttered horrified.


	45. Escaping

Harry woke to the feeling of a gentle hand brushing the hair away from his forehead. His scar throbbed with immense pain, making it impossible for him to see straight, even when he opened his eyes. Still, the figure looming over him was somewhat recognizable. Slowly, Harry blinked and tried to reach out to the other.

"…Tom…" he murmured.

The man hummed and kept stroking him, long fingers now tracing his scar. Instead of the pleasurable warmth he was used to whenever Tom touched him, he felt sparks of immense pain resonating through the long fingers. He frowned and blinked again, trying his best to see properly again. When that finally worked, his eyes widened as it met blood red instead of dark blue. Harry sat up, ignoring the agony in his entire body as he shuffled back on the bed until he was leaning against the wall behind him.

"You're not Tom," he accused.

Voldemort chuckled and leaned closer, grasping Harry's chin and forcing him to look at him. He looked like a mid-thirties version of Tom Riddle instead of the snake-like man he had seen that night at the Graveyard and at the Malfoy Party. Dark ebony curls fell over a pale, handsome face with high cheekbones and a thin, straight nose. The only part that was out of place were the red snake eyes.

"In a sense, I am him," he said calmly, his voice deep and soft.  
"I'm just a bit older, more experienced than he is, Harry."

Harry snorted and leaned away from the dark wizard, pulling his face away from the hand gripping him. It only caused Voldemort to grab his chin harder.

"I think the words your looking for are a _lot_ older and insane," he hissed.

The grip tightened even more and nails dug painfully in the skin of his jaw.

"Try not to make me angry, Harry dear," Voldemort whispered in a gentle tone.  
"You and I both know that he'll become me no matter what you do. He's using you."

"He's already different from you," Harry shot back.  
"He never killed Myrtle. He didn't make the Horcrux."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he leaned closer. Harry flinched back unconsciously, but the hand keeping his face in place didn't let him budge in the slightest. Voldemort smirked and pressed his lips against the scar on Harry's forehead, chuckling when he heard the soft whimper of pain the action caused.

"Still six more to go," he said in a soft, gentle tone that didn't fit his personality.  
"He'll make them, one way or another. I know him better than you do, and I can tell you he doesn't love you. He's just using you for information and once you aren't useful anymore, he'll get rid of you."

"And you won't?" Harry asked bitterly.

"You're my Horcrux, not his."

Harry gave a quiet laugh and glared defiantly at the man before him.

"No. I'm his lover," he replied grinning.  
"I used to think the same thing. That I'd find a miniature you here, but I didn't. I found a _person_ and I took away his reasons to become you."

The words had barely left his lips or his face was released, only for the back of Voldemort's hand to harshly slam into Harry's cheek. Harry cried out in pain as he was thrown of balance and fell on the bed. Slowly, he lifted himself back up and looked up at Voldemort, green eyes flashing brightly in anger and hatred.

"He'll choose me over you and you know it!" he hissed angrily.  
"Once he sees what you really are, his decision will be made forever! That's why you're here now. If I choose you now, he'll have no other choice but to follow!"

A fist bashed into the side of his face this time, causing Harry to lay back on his side and curl up while Voldemort continued beating him. The Dark wizard aimed for his face, ribs and stomach as best as he could, but since Harry was all curled up in a ball, most of his hits reached only arms and legs. With a growl of annoyance, Voldemort stepped back and took out his wand.

"Crucio!"

Harry screamed in agony as he writhed on the bed, pain coursing through his body far above his ability to cope. He had flashes of the Graveyard again, when Voldemort used this exact same spell on him in front of all his followers. This time was even more painful than back then. Did that mean Voldemort hated him even more?

"You stupid brat," Voldemort hissed, grabbing Harry's arm and twisting it behind his back.  
"I'll make sure you'll never be able to look at this face without being terrified out of your mind!"

. . . . .

Tom's room was large and very beautiful, but he had no eyes for it. Harry was out there somewhere, tormented and maybe even tortured by Voldemort. His older self had said he wouldn't kill Harry, but Harry had been very clear that he believed there were worse things than death.

Harry's promise that he would kill himself if Voldemort ever got his hands on him rang through Tom's head, driving him utterly insane. He couldn't let that happen. Not ever. He need Harry to keep him from spiralling into insanity and becoming that _thing_ that had captured them. No. He needed to get out of here and find Harry. He needed to save the reckless little lion.

He looked up when he heard the door open and he scowled at the man entering. Lestrange, he believed. He did look somewhat like an older version of Nikolas. He sort of remembered Ron saying that the one who looked like Nikolas was the youngest. Rabastan. His brother Rodolphus looked more like a combination between his mother and Dimitri.

"Breakfast," the man grunted, putting a plate on Tom's bedside table.

Tom walked up from where he had been looking through the window just as Lestrange had turned to go back out the room. Tom roughly bumped against the man with his shoulder as they passed each other, making the man glare at his back, but he ignored it and sat on the bed to eat. Lestrange just huffed and slammed the door.

Almost instantly, Tom smirked and put the food away to pull out Lestrange's wand from his robes. His grin widened shark like and devious. Never trust a boy raised in poverty not to rob you. He waited for a minute before sneaking towards the door. Waiting much longer would be dangerous. No doubt Lestrange would soon start missing his wand after all.

"Alohomora," he whispered.

The lock clicked open and he snuck out quickly. He had to find Harry as fast as possible. Before Voldemort did something to him… Or he did something to himself. Knowing Harry, he would actually go through with his ridiculous threat to kill himself.

Voices came his way, and Tom quickly hid behind a statue. It were the same man that had brought him food, the Lestrange, and the woman Harry had identified as Bellatrix Lestrange. A woman of the Black family that was more devoted to Lord Voldemort than anyone else.

"I can't believe I lost my wand!" the man growled.  
"I swear, if that brat stole it, I'll-"

"Shut up, Rabastan," the woman hissed coldly.  
"That brat is our Lord in another form. You will do nothing."

"He made it clear that he has no intention to ever be our Lord," Rabastan Lestrange pointed out.

His sister-in-law grinned darkly at that.

"He'll change his mind," she said with conviction.  
"We'll convince him. That's why we've taken him."

Tom scowled. They could try all they wanted, but he knew that as long as he had Harry by his side, he would never become Lord Voldemort. He stayed hidden until the duo disappeared behind a corner before sneaking back out and continuing in a faster pace. It wouldn't take long before they noticed he was gone.

A blasting curse to the wall on his left, had Tom jump away and turn around, eyes wide and wand at the ready. Bellatrix Lestrange stood in the middle of the hallway, twirling her wand as she grinned madly at him. She truly was a terrifying sight. Tom could see why Lord Voldemort liked her.

"I thought I heard a naughty boy crawling around where he shouldn't be!" the mad woman cackled.

"I just want to see Harry," Tom replied stubbornly.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Bellatrix's eyes suddenly turned dark and an angry sneer replaced the insane grin.

"It's all wrong!" she screeched.  
"The Dark Lord is your future! Not the Potter brat!"

Usually, this would anger Tom, but not this time around. Bellatrix's weakness was her extreme devotion to Lord Voldemort after all. And Tom, technically being Lord Voldemort, could use that to his advantage. Grinning, Tom placed the stolen wand against his own throat.

"If that's my only option, I suppose I could just as well kill myself now," he said smoothly.

Instantly, the insane witch's eyes widened in horror.

"Stop that!" she screamed.

"Drop your wand and I will do the same," Tom replied.

For a moment, Bellatrix hesitated, but then she leaned down and slowly laid her wand on the floor before straightening back up. She glared hatefully at Tom, who just smirked and lowered his wand hand back to his side.

"Thank you," he said.

He saw Bellatrix relax a little and smirked. Before the witch could react, he had lifted his arm again and pointed his wand straight at her chest.

 _"_ _Avada Kedavra!"_

A bright green light illuminated the hall as the killing curse struck down its target. Bellatrix gave a single pained gasp before dropping dead on the ground. Tom darted forward, not to catch the with, who fell with a heavy thump, but to grab her wand. With that, he cast a levitation charm on the body before he turned around and darted through the hall towards where he expected Harry to be held.

. . . . .

Tom threw the doors open and strode into the room he figured they kept Harry, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw the state his lover was in. He was lying on the floor, naked and curled up in a puddle of blood and other bodily fluids. His entire body was trembling, but it wasn't from the cold.

"Harry?" he whispered.

Harry's back tensed at the sound of his voice, making Tom scowl confused. A soft whimper escaped the teen and he tried to curl further into himself. Worried, Tom walked over and knelt down next to the younger boy.

"Harry?" he asked again, laying a hand on his lover's shoulder.

Harry whined and jerked away, but Tom didn't let him go. Instead, he tightened his grip and forced Harry to roll on his back so he could better look at him. The young time-traveller's eyes were tightly shut, and dried tear tracks ran over his face.

"D-don't touch me," Harry whispered hoarsely.

Tom frowned and grasped Harry's jaw, tilting his head back a bit. There were dark bruises on his neck and another set of finger shaped bruises on his upper right arm. In fact, he was bruised and cut on several more places on his body, as if someone had been forcefully holding him down while Harry fought with all his might. Actually, that was likely exactly what happened.

"Look at me, Harry," Tom commanded softly.

Harry just whimpered and shook his head, squeezing his eyes even tighter shut. Tom growled low in his throat, making Harry flinch weakly.

"It's me, Harry," he said, trying to stay calm.  
"You know it's me, so _look at me!_ "

Harry's eyes snapped open right away and he focused on Tom's eyes. Slowly, all tension bled out of him and he slowly reached up with one trembling arm, softly touching Tom's cheek.

"My Tom," Harry whispered.

. . . . .

Tom had wrapped Harry in a thick blanket before casting several notice-me-not charms and invisibility charms. Harry had passed out again shortly after Tom had found him, so the young Slytherin Heir had to carry his lover all the way out of the manor.

The Lestrange woman wasn't yet found, since Tom had hidden her body in a supply closet not that far from Harry's room. The Lestrange brothers were running around a lot, not paying any attention to their surroundings at all, yelling about their missing wand and wife and arguing which one was the most important. If Tom didn't have to be so quiet he'd have laughed in their face. As it was, he was extremely lucky Voldemort and his other Death Eaters were out at the moment, giving him and Harry the opportunity they needed to escape.

Tom carried Harry out of town and into the forest nearby. Voldemort would expect them to return to Hogwarts instantly, but Tom was barely capable of side-apparating without splinching either of them so he didn't dare trying that now when Harry was so weakened. So instead, he chose to wander the forest until he came by a cave. He transfigured some rocks into pillows and carefully laid Harry on them before going back out to cast some protective wards over the area. They could figure out how to return back to Hogwarts once Harry was awake again.

* * *

 **My original plan for this story was a light, fun fanfic with some humour, romance and a bit adventure to keep it interesting. Apparently, I have become incapable of writing happy fics, so things will stay a little dark for a while. It won't even get close to my other stories though. This isn't going to go that much to hell.**


	46. Horcrux

Harry woke up with a start, gasping for breath he didn't seem to get. He blindly grabbed for his throat, trying to scratch off the tightening hands around it that kept him from breathing. His throat hurt and his ears were ringing, making his head throb painfully.

A pair of hands grabbed his wrist and he was pulled into a strong chest. Panic set in his chest instantly, his heart started hammering like a jack rabbit. He couldn't handle this anymore. He couldn't do this. Voldemort couldn't do this to him!

"Hush, Harry," a soft, soothing voice murmured in his ear.  
"I'm right here for you, Love. Calm down, please."

Harry took a few deep breath and found himself doing just that. The ringing stopped and Harry realized that it wasn't ringing at all, but his own screaming, which immediately explained the pain in his throat. Once he relaxed a little, one of the hands let go of his wrist and instead wiped the tears from Harry's cheeks.

"You're safe now, Harry," Tom whispered softly.  
"I've got you now. Voldemort won't be able to reach you anymore."

Voldemort. The memories of what that monster had done to him came rushing back in an instant. Harry's breath hitched and new tears came running down his cheeks. Tom's arms instantly tightened around him and he started shushing again while rocking Harry back and forth soothingly.

"W-why…" he whimpered, clamping onto Tom tightly.

"I won't let him touch you again, Harry," Tom whispered.

Harry sniffed and nodded his head weakly.

"You're still hurt," Tom told him softly.  
"Rest while I try to figure out what we do next."

Again, Harry nodded his head. He hadn't opened his eyes yet since woken up and he didn't feel up to doing so just yet either. He wouldn't be able to stand seeing Tom's face just yet. Not after what Voldemort had done while wearing that exact face. Maybe… maybe Harry would never be able to look at Tom's face ever again without experiencing all that again.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he whispered hoarsely.

Tom tensed halfway tucking Harry underneath the blanket that still smelled like blood and… other things… Harry just tried to ignore the flashes of memories the smell gave him and snuggled deeper into the warmth. With an exhausted sigh, he fell back into a fitful sleep filled with terrible nightmares about a red-eyed Tom Riddle committing the most horrible cruelties.

. . . . .

When Harry woke up again, he finally found the courage to open his eyes and look around himself. He was in a cave, lying on several cushions and a hurriedly transfigured mattress with the blanket from Riddle Manor still tightly wrapped around himself.

He was all alone for some reason, which both scared and comforted him. He didn't think he would be able to handle people just yet. He wouldn't be able to handle much of anything anytime soon, he feared.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked and looked over to the entrance of the cave, where Tom just entered, carrying a bucket of water. The other teen was smiling in relief, but all Harry could see was the menacing glinting of his white teeth. He whimpered in fear and scrambled back until he hit the wall. Instantly, Tom's smile fell and he looked away with a sigh. Harry trembled.

"I won't hurt you, you know that," Tom murmured, sounding disappointed.

Instantly, Harry felt guilty, but he couldn't get himself to say anything. Terror was still keeping his mind captive, his rational mind wasn't strong enough to break past.

"It's alright, I understand," Tom smiled.  
"Take your time. You're still in shock."

The older teen sat down on a boulder and laid a wand Harry could clearly recognize as Bellatrix' next to another one that obviously wasn't Tom's either. It was easy to figure out that their own wands were still in Voldemort's lair and Harry was more than willing to consider them lost to him.

He watched quietly as Tom set to work making a fire and using Bellatrix's wand to transfigure a rock into a pot. The water was poured into the new pot before Tom cleaned and cut several roots he had already lying ready with a quick spell. He… was actually making soup in the middle of nowhere… Harry hadn't even know he could cook, let alone doing it with little to no resources.

Tom had saved him from Voldemort. They might be the same person and have the same face, but Tom was so different from Voldemort in the most important ways there were. He was patient, understanding, kind. He cared about Harry and not about some prophesy or whatever.

He could trust Tom. Harry closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He had to trust Tom. Tom deserved to know why exactly Harry reacted badly to him, especially when he didn't deserve the distrust Harry now felt towards his face.

"He looked like you," he mumbled suddenly, stopping Tom in the middle of his work.  
"When he did it-… When he… Your face, your hands. Only the eyes were different."

Tom was immediately by Harry's side, eyes wide in worry. Harry didn't look up.

"He made me look at him the entire time," he whispered, voice trembling.

Tom scowled and reached out, pausing only for a moment when Harry flinched back. His frown deepened and he grasped Harry by the back of his neck, pulling him in until they were face to face and Harry had no other choice but to look him in the eye. Killing curse green eyes widened in shock, but the rest of his body seemed to relax again.

"You do realize why he did that, right?" Tom asked through gritted teeth.  
"He wants you to stop trusting me, to be too scared of my face to ever look at me again."

Harry swallowed nervously and tried to look away from him, but Tom just tightened his grip to painful and shook Harry's neck a bit, glaring at him.

"You can't let him win, so _look at me_ ," he demanded.  
"You said different eyes, so focus on my eyes if it helps. _You_ _know me_ , Harry! You know I'm not him, and I swear to you that I never will be either."

Harry relaxed more and gave Tom a weak smile.

"I know," he mumbled softly.  
"Thank you, Tom. I needed that."

. . . . .

"This won't be over until he's dead, will it?" Harry whispered miserably.

The two teens had cuddled up together for the night, with Tom basically curled around Harry in a protective manner. Normally, it would have annoyed the green eyed teen, but at the moment, he could use the extra loving and gentle attention. It kept his mind from returning to what had happened to him the days before.

"No, it won't," Tom replied calmly, his arms tightening around Harry.

Harry closed his eyes again and sighed.

"Why did he have to follow me?" he choked out sorrowfully.  
"I wanted to fix everything without having to kill _anyone_."

"Nothing is ever that easy, Harry," Tom murmured.

Harry turned around in Tom's arms and buried his face in the older teen's chest.

"I just didn't think he'd go this far to get to me," he muttered.  
"I thought the moment I changed you, he'd stop existing. Why is he still here?"

Tom hummed in thought. It was the most logical thing to happen. At first, he'd figured it meant that there would still be something in his future that would make him become Lord Voldemort, likely Harry abandoning or betraying him. He actually hadn't been shocked by that thought at all. But now, he was sure that wasn't it.

"It… hurts when I'm close to him…" he admitted slowly.  
"Like I'm slowly drowning. There's a pressure on my chest, as if it can cave in at any second. It's barely there at first, but the longer I'm around him, the stronger it becomes. He must feel the same. It's why he avoids me most of the time."

In the three days they had been stuck in Riddle Manor, Voldemort had only once come to see Tom, and that was that first day with that dinner conversation. But even away from him, locked in his own room, Tom had felt the pressure build up. Until it had suddenly gone. It was how he knew when his counterpart was out of the house.

"I think… I think two people with the same soul can't exist together," he admitted carefully.  
"But he butchered his. He's only a perverted, twisted version of who I am. We don't count as one person anymore, that's why we're both still here."

He could feel Harry nod against his chest and he sighed.

"But even though he's no longer my future, I'm still his past," he said.  
"That's why we're both in pain when we're too near each other. Just like your scar hurts because you have a piece of his soul in you."

"I want it out," Harry whimpered.  
"The thought alone that me and him-…"

"I know," Tom whispered soothingly, carding fingers through Harry's hair.  
"We'll have to get it out somehow if we want to kill him once and for all."

Harry peeked up at him, his eyes lighting up unnaturally in the dark, glinting with determination.

"Good. Get this out of me," he said in a cold voice.

Tom chuckled and swiped his thumb over the lightning bolt scar on his lover's forehead.

"I don't know how," he confessed in a whisper.  
"Besides, even if I could. There are a lot of complications."

"Like?" Harry wanted to know.

"It would create a beacon, first of all. A giant power surge, letting every magical being around here know exactly where we are," Tom said.  
"Aside from that, Voldemort would probably be aware when a fragment of his soul is destroyed, but that's not what I'm afraid of."

"Then what is?"

"The complications to you personally. Your entire being grew around that piece of his soul. Getting it out could have severe repercussions."

"Could have or will have?" Harry asked frowning.  
"Are you sure it would be a bad thing?"

"As far as I know, making a life Horcrux has never been done before. No one even knew it was possible," Tom said.  
"No one has any knowledge on the subject aside from some flimsy theories. Not even that, actually."

Harry scowled and nodded in understanding.

"What should we do?" he wondered out loud.

"We'll think of something," Tom replied, kissing Harry's head.  
"But not now. Go back to sleep, Harry. You need the rest."

. . . . .

Harry and Tom ate their meagre breakfast in silence, both lost in thought.

"We should go back to Hogwarts as soon as possible," Tom eventually said.  
"Today, if possible. You're recovered enough that I feel confident in apparating the both of us into Hogsmeade and from there, we can make our way back to school. They're probably worried. We have been gone for almost a week already."

"We can't go back yet," Harry countered in a whisper.  
"I want this out of me first. I can't have his-… I just can't."

Tom's mouth snapped shut and he nodded in grim understanding. He was a bit reluctant to try and remove the Horcrux from Harry, even with the plan he had to reduce the chances of complications. It was still too risky for his tastes. Besides, he had no idea how Harry would react to knowing he had killed. In this state, it was possible that Harry would lose all sight of difference between him and Voldemort and push him away.

"… I have an idea on how to do that…" he confessed carefully.  
"But we can't do it here and I don't think you'll like it."

Harry looked at him with hopeful curiosity, urging him to continue.

"… I… I can replace the Horcrux by one of my own," Tom offered softly.  
"If it works, your own soul will clamp to it, reducing the chance of mental damage. And my soul is technically the same as… _his_ … so he won't be able to detect a difference either…"

"No."

Tom scowled at the blatant refusal. He had expected it of course, but at least Harry should have thought it over some more.

"I don't want you to kill," Harry said firmly.

Tom smiled mirthlessly at him.

"I'm afraid it's too late," he said.  
"I killed Bellatrix Lestrange when she tried to prevent me from finding you."

Harry's eyes widened in shock, before they grew sad. Tom scowled and grasped his chin.

"I don't regret it, nor will I ever," he said firmly.  
"She deserved to die for standing in my way."

"Bellatrix Lestrange deserved to die for a lot of reasons," Harry whispered in reply.  
"Do you think it will work for the Horcrux?"

Tom hadn't expected that question at all and he stared at Harry for a few moments.

"You'll let me do it, then?" he asked shocked.

"No use letting the opportunity go to waste," Harry shrugged.  
"I don't want you to butcher your soul, and I'll probably regret this tomorrow, but right now, I'll do pretty much anything to get _his_ soul out of me."

Tom nodded in understanding and stood up.

"Then we better leave now," he said calmly.  
"The ritual will be like a beacon to those who are looking for us. We'll need a place where high spikes of magic won't be noticed and is still a safe place for us to be."

"The Shrieking Shack," Harry replied instantly.

Tom chuckled and held out his hand.

"The Shack it is," he said grinning.  
"Let's leave now, then maybe we can sleep in our own beds again tonight."


	47. Saved

***In which the author gets off her lazy ass and does something productive***

* * *

 **How many of you thought this story was dead? Hah! Proved you guys wrong huh? It's been a long time since I posted another chapter and I'm really sorry about that. I just couldn't find any inspiration or energy to continue. But I've found it again! So you won't have to wait that long again for the next one, I promise!**

* * *

Harry woke up to a lot of commotion. There were voices buzzing around him, all whispering and talking through each other. A bright light shone over him, blinding him, and he had a massive headache, as if he was clobbered by a troll. Adding to all that, his mouth felt like dry cotton and his tongue was swollen up and tender. He vaguely remembered biting it…

"Harry? Are you awake?" he heard a gentle, familiar voice ask him.

Harry blinked a few times and looked to the side of his bed, finding Remus sitting there holding his hand in his as he looked down at him with a worried expression on his pale face.

"Pup? Oh, thank Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed, making Harry wince at the volume.

Harry looked around himself, finding only those two next to his bed, both looking extremely relieved.

"… What happened?" he asked tiredly.

"You disappeared," Sirius replied, still looking panicky and worried.

"The whole school was in a panic and the ministry sent several Aurors to help us look," Remus spoke.  
"Then all of a sudden, there was enormous surge of magical power at the Shack, and there you and Tom were!"

Harry smiled weakly at that and moved his arm to grab Remus' hand in his own.

"Well, we're back now, so everything is alright," he said.

"No it's not!" Sirius shouted wide-eyed.  
"Harry, you were kidnapped by Voldemort! You were out for two weeks!"

Harry froze at those words. Not the part about Voldemort. He remembered that part more than well enough to have night terrors about it for years to come. The part that had his heart stutter and his veins freeze.

"T-two weeks?" he asked softly.  
"I've been out for _two whole weeks?!_ "

"Yeah! Listen, Harry, I know you really like Tom, but you have to admit that this is all really suspicious," Sirius continued, ignoring Harry's distress.  
"He takes you out of the safety of Hogwarts and almost instantly, you end up kidnapped and tortured? It's really suspicious."

Harry forgot his horror about his position as it was replaced by anger. He glared at Sirius, who's mouth snapped shut at the sight of his pissed off godson.

"Tom _saved me_ ," he growled out.  
"He saved me and hid me, he even took out the-"

"Harry. You're awake."

Harry's eyes widened and his head snapped over to the entrance of the hospital wing. Tom stood there, smiling softly at him as he approached.

"Tom," Remus greeted tensely.  
"Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I had a terrible headache and asked Professor Tonks if I could ask for a pain relieving potion," Tom replied coolly.  
"But now that I see that Harry is awake, could you two please give us a few moments to talk in private?"

"What do you have to talk to my godson about that I can't hear?" Sirius asked suspicious.

"Sirius, please," Harry sighed.  
"You never had an issue with it before."

"Well, that was before!" the Caretaker muttered.

This made Harry scowl annoyed.

"Nothing has changed," he said firmly.  
"Please give us a couple minutes at least."

"Fine," Sirius huffed pouting.

Remus chuckled and stood up. He grabbed Sirius' arm and dragged the other adult out of the room. As soon as the two were gone, Tom pulled out his wand and cast a silencing spell over the area before turning to face Harry with a blank expression.

"You don't have a headache, do you?"

It was a rhetorical question. Harry knew Tom well enough to know the boy had just lied his way into the hospital wing to see him. The question was why. How could Tom possibly know when he was going to wake up? Unless…

"Did you know because of the… the _Horcrux_?" Harry asked curiously.

Tom frowned and nodded, his jaw tense as he waited for Harry's reaction. The time-traveling teen sighed and relaxed back into the pillows.

"I guess that something to get used to, huh?" he muttered with a soft chuckle.  
"How come I can't feel anything from you? If-if you can feel me, I should be able to feel you too, right?"

"I know occlumency," Tom replied softly.  
"I can draw those walls up to stop any flow if you want, or teach you how to make walls of your own. I simply wasn't expecting it when in class. There was a sudden floodgate of emotions pouring into me through the link. I must have startled half the class…"

Harry chuckled at the mental image that gave him and he grinned at Tom. Tom however, wasn't smiling back. Instead, the older teen was still frowning as he looked down at Harry with a contemplative look.

"What is it?" Harry asked worried.

"You were almost going to tell them.

This startled Harry a little. Shouldn't he have?

"We can trust them," he said.

" _You_ can," Tom replied, his frown deepening.  
"Black isn't the only one doubting my innocence."

"Then they're idiots. I know you didn't lead me into a trap," Harry replied determined.

"We still can't tell them about the Horcrux," Tom bit out.  
"What if Dumbledore finds out? Or anyone? They'll assume instantly that I am a Dark wizard."

Harry could understand his boyfriend's worry about the subject and nodded his head slowly, his brows furrowing as he thought everything over.

"Then what do we tell them?" he asked.

"The best lies are not lies at all, but half-truths," Tom stated.  
"I told everyone about the torture, but they don't know I killed, or that I made a Horcrux to get rid of _His_. The power surge that led them to our location is explained away with me trying to heal you and you panicking."

Harry scowled and nodded again.

"Okay, and did you give them a reason why I would have panicked?" he asked.

"The same one you gave me. That he used my face to get to you."

Harry sucked in a deep breath before releasing it in a long sigh and closed his eyes. That was good, he guessed. Tom had kept to the truth almost all the way, so that made it a lot easier. As long as no one would start to question him too hard, there was no way for Harry to slip up at all.

"Two bloody weeks," he mumbled, shaking his head.

A soft hand cupped his cheek, making Harry open his eyes again and he looked up into Tom's dark blues. He looked so worried and… afraid? Was Harry seeing that right?

"That ritual took a lot out of you," he whispered.  
"You were suffering from extreme magical exhaustion and nerve damage. They had to keep you on potions the entire time to keep you from suffering terrible nightmares too."

Harry moved his own hand up to cover the one Tom had pressed against the side of Harry's face and gently rubbed the back of it with his thumb.

"If there had been any other way to get that shard out of you, I would have done it," Tom whispered.

"It's over now," Harry whispered back, smiling up at his lover.  
"We're safe now. We're okay, or at least we're going to be, and that's thanks to you. You saved me."

Finally, a weak, careful smile found its way onto Tom's face and he leaned down, pressing his lips softly against Harry's forehead. The touch sparked, making Harry feel unusually warm and pleasant inside. It was as if the reaction of touch had amplified exponentially.

"I had to do something in return after _you_ saved _me_ ," Tom whispered into Harry's hair.

Harry chuckled softly.

"Saved you from what?" he asked.

"From myself."

. . . . .

It took another three days before Harry was allowed to leave the hospital wing. During that time, all of his friends had come to visit at least once, much to the annoyance of madam Horn. The old nurse had to threaten cursing the visitors when the entire Slytherin Quidditch Team decided to appear at Harry's bed all at once.

On the last day, none of his friends were allowed to visit him as the Head Auror, Amadeus Knight, along with several other Aurors, among whom was Fleamont Potter, as he had followed his father's footsteps and became an Auror.

The man showed Harry his support as the teen told his story of his and Tom's kidnapping. He kept to Tom's story, as they had agreed and didn't tell them about the Horcrux inside of him, nor did he tell them Tom had killed one of their kidnappers. He hadn't been there anyway, so it wouldn't be suspicious even if Tom had decided to come clean about that. Not that Harry expected him to.

Fleamont had actually burst into tears when Harry told them about the… treatment he had received during his imprisonment. Head Auror Knight asked him why Voldemort hadn't just killed him, and Harry told him he had no idea. He hated lying, but he knew he had no other choice. If he told them the truth, he'd be send to St. Mungo's Janus Thickey ward where the mentally unstable patients were kept.

When he finally showed up at breakfast the next morning, the entire Great Hall fell quiet and stared at him, making Harry blush a little and hurry towards the Slytherin table where he took his usual seat between Tom and Alphard. As soon as he sat down, the Headmaster stood up, his ling white beard swinging a little as he coughed for attention.

"Dear students," he started in a soft, croaky voice that barely carried through the completely silent Hall.  
"As you can see, Harry Potter has joined us once again after recovering in the hospital wing. Just as with Mr. Riddle, I implore you to keep any questions you no doubt have to yourself. Mr. Potter went through a traumatic experience and he will have no doubt enough on just speaking to the Aurors about it. No need for us to upset him by sticking our noses where they don't belong."

Harry swallowed at the hundreds sets of eyes focused on him and looked down at his plate. Next to him, Tom gently grasped his hand in comfort. Harry looked up, planning to thank his boyfriend for his comfort, but as he met Tom's face, all he could see was Voldemort, making him gasp softly and pull away from Tom in shock.

"Harry?" Alphard asked confused, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry jumped at the touch and stood up. Memories of his time with Voldemort flashed before his eyes and he had to shake his head to get rid of them. All around him, worried and curious whispers drowned out the deadly silence.

"Are you alright, cousin?" Walburga asked worried.

Harry swallowed and looked around the table. The entire Slytherin gang was scowling at him. Some of them would follow Voldemort, Harry suddenly realized. The Lestranges would be one of the most eager. The Blacks hated anything and everything not pureblood, the Rosiers, the Averies, the Notts, Dolohov, Mulciber,… What was Harry even doing here?

Without thinking, Harry turned around and fled the Hall.

"Harry!"

Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins had all jumped up as well and hurried after him while the rest of the students just watched them run after their friends, their quiet whispers turning into excited chattering. The Slytherins all focused on Tom, who was staring down at his hand with a frustrated scowl.

"What happened, Tom?" Megan asked softly.

Tom's head snapped up and he looked at his friends with a cold expression.

"I will kill Voldemort," he hissed lowly.  
"I will torture him and I will _break_ him."

. . . . .

Harry stopped running when he reached the Astronomy Tower and sank down to the ground, panting and wheezing as tears streamed down his face. His back was against the wall and his knees drawn up to his chest. He buried his face in them to try and stifle his sobs. He failed miserable, since he didn't hear the door open and five pairs of footsteps hurrying to his side.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed sadly, making Harry tense.  
"Sirius told us what happened to you over there…"

Harry didn't dare look up at them as he nodded slowly. Sirius, as his guardian had been present too when he told the Aurors what had happened. The man had growled angrily as he heard of the horrors Harry had to endure by Voldemort's hands, but he still didn't know the worst part yet.

"What am I doing here?" he asked sniffing.  
"It… it's useless, isn't it? He's still here, so th-that means…"

Harry stopped talking and shook his head with a bitter, humourless chuckle.

"I'm in love with a monster," he whispered brokenly.  
"We're going to die here and everything will stay the same, so why still try?"

"Because that's just who you are, mate," Ron replied shrugging.  
"It's what you do, and somehow, you always make it work, no matter how impossible it all is."

"Listen. You know I have no love lost for Riddle," Ginny spoke up firmly.  
"And if you want to give up on this thing, I'm the first to follow your lead. As long as it's for the right reasons."

"And clearly, this isn't the right reasons," Fred said grinning.

"We don't know exactly what he did and why you're so skittish around him, but we know you love him, and you must have a good reason for that," George shrugged.

"We're all here for you, Harry," Hermione said.  
"Not just us, but Tom and Alphard too, and Megan, the Lestranges,… all of us."

Harry finally looked up to see his friends all sitting around him. They watched him expectantly and he sighed before wiping away his tears.

"When… when V-Voldemort-… He wore Tom's face," he whispered.

Hermione gasped in horror while the four Weasleys all looked at him with wide eyes in shock.

"Merlin… No wonder you're acting like this!" Ron exclaimed gaping.

"That monster!" Ginny hissed hatefully.  
"If I see his ugly snake face I'll… I'll-…!"

"We'll all do _something_ ," Fred growled.

"I agree, but that wasn't Tom, you know that, right?" Hermione said carefully.

"Of course I know it wasn't Tom!" Harry huffed, blushing.  
"It's just… When I look at him, I keep thinking of… of…"

His friends were all quiet as Harry sobbed again and new tears started leaking out. Hermione sighed sadly and shuffled closer, wrapping an arm over Harry and pulling him closer in comfort.

"Oh, Harry," she whispered as she rocked her crying friend.

The Weasleys all looked at each other with helpless expressions as they wondered how they could help their close friend rid him of his distress.


	48. Nightmares

_Spindly hands ran over Harry's body, long, sharp claws pulling forth blood and screams of agony. Blood red eyes stared down at the teen, glinting in rage, hatred, and manic glee as white teeth shone in a sadistic grimace. How could such a handsome face hold such an ugly expression._

 _"_ _You are mine, Harry Potter," the man hissed in a tone that Harry wasn't sure was even possible in English._

 _Harry tried to move away, but his bonds constricted and hissed loudly at him in warning. A giant snake coiled her massive body further around Harry's arms and chest, pinning him down on the hard, wooden floor, leaving him completely helpless against those cruel hands._

 _"_ _I will take you apart and rebuild you in my image, my soul."_

 _Harry's mind screamed in horror at those words, but the boy was too delirious with pain and fear to completely understand what his tormentor said._

 _"_ _I will peal your skin away and lay you bare before me."_

 _Harry whimpered and shook his head._

 ** _Please._**

 _The man let out a cold, chilling laugh as his hands stopped moving. Red eyes burned deeply into Harry and the grin pulled up further, becoming so wide and sharp like that of a caricature._

 _"_ _That's it. Beg me," the man hissed in glee.  
"Beg me for forgiveness. Beg me for death."_

 _Harry shook his head again._

 ** _No._**

 _"_ _Oh? We'll see how stubborn you still are when I'm done with you, my bothersome Horcrux."_

. . . . .

Harry woke up with a start. He gasped for breath and clutched at his chest. Almost instantly, Tom was at his side, grabbing him tight and hugging him against his chest. Due to the closeness, Harry couldn't see Tom, but he could _smell_ him. Tom smelled like parchment, ink and Earl Grey Tea while Voldemort, in whichever form he decided to appear, always reeked of blood and death.

"I'm here, Harry," Tom whispered.  
"He won't ever get to you again."

"He doesn't have to," Harry whimpered.  
"He's already gotten in my head and I can't-…"

"Of course you can," Tom interjected.

"No! I-I've tried to stop thinking of it, to accept that he won't be able to touch me anymore. I really try, but… I-I can't…"

Tom grunted and grabbed Harry by his shoulders, holding him at arm length as he stared sternly into Harry's eyes with his own dark ones. Not red. Definitely not red.

"Don't stop thinking about it," Tom ordered Harry to the younger's surprise.

Harry gave a squeak of indignation and leaned away from Tom with a scowl.

"What? So I should just continue to wallow and wait for someone else to fix this for me?!"

"Of course not," Tom scoffed, rolling his eyes as he lay down on Harry's bed.  
"I'm just saying it's useless to waste energy on fear and self-pity. Instead, focus that energy on anger and hatred. Focus on taking him down. You'll get your revenge. We both will. He will regret having messed with us, I promise."

On a normal day, Harry would have told Tom that revenge wasn't the solution and that hatred would never come to something good. However, this wasn't a normal day and Voldemort was anything but a normal man. He was a monster and a murderer. Harry actually agreed that the man deserved to die, so he nodded and cuddled back into Tom's arms.

"Sleep with me," Harry mumbled.

"I don't think that's such a good idea when you're still in such a delicate state."

Harry scowled confused at that and looked up with the intention to ask Tom what he meant. The older teen's dark eyes were sparkling in amusement and Harry's eyes widened when he suddenly realized what Tom had implied.

"Pervert!" he muttered, slapping Tom's chest.

"Go to sleep, Harry. I'll stay here with you," Tom murmured.

He pressed a kiss on Harry's head, making the green-eyed wizard blush a little before the two closed their eyes and got back to sleep. This time, Harry slept peacefully and dreamless thanks to Tom's protective arms wrapped around him.

. . . . .

Harry woke up early, feeling uncomfortably warm underneath the sheets and wrapped into a pair of possessive arms. For a moment, Harry tensed, his eyes widening in fear while he tried to remember where he was. He stayed put for a short while, trying to get his beating heart back under control and allow his memories to catch up. He slowly extracted himself from the embrace and reached for his glasses before turning around to look at a peacefully sleeping Tom.

The green eyed time-traveller couldn't help but smile softly at the sight of his boyfriend sleeping calmly. He decided that he didn't want to bother Tom by waking him, but his stomach was growling aggressively. He hadn't eaten properly since _before_ he had been taken.

Harry's light mood was gone almost instantly at the thought. Sighing deeply, the teen dragged himself out of bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready for an early breakfast. He wasn't luckily the only one there, as he found both Hermione and Ginny already sitting together at the Ravenclaw table along with Octavian.

"You're up early today, Harry!" Ginny greeted with a laugh.

Harry childishly stuck out his tongue at her before sitting down next to her and across from Hermione and Octavian. Myrtle, who sat at Octavian's other side, laughed quietly and grinned at Harry, who smiled back kindly at her.

"You look great today, Harry," Myrtle told him, blushing a little.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked in a gentle tone.

"Better, I guess," Harry replied with a shrug.  
"I had a good night's sleep, so I'm fine."

"Glad I could help."

Harry looked up and smiled as Tom walked closer and sat down next to him, kissing his forehead. The green-eyes time-traveling wizard flushed a little and looked away from his boyfriend with a small upwards curl of his lips. Tom chuckled deeply and turned towards the other occupants at the table, starting a friendly conversation with Hermione about their homework while Harry observed their odd group sitting together.

Hermione, the muggleborn was happily chatting with Tom, the future Dark Lord while Ginny talked to the younger brother of her grandfather, who was supposed to have died a year before and then there was Myrtle, who should have been killed by Tom the year before…

The same Tom Harry was dating…

The same Tom that would have become Voldemort…

Suddenly, Harry felt as if he couldn't breathe. Just how sure was he that Tom hadn't tipped off Voldemort to their date? How could he know that all Tom did for him wasn't just a ruse to gain his trust and find out more about the future? Tom might be playing him for all he knew and yet here he was, still trusting him… Still madly in love with him…

Feeling sick, Harry got up, interrupting the current argument going on about House-Elf rights between Tom and Hermione. All five of Harry's present friends looked up startled at Harry's sudden movement, which soon turned to worry.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked curiously.  
"You haven't even touched your food yet!"

"I-I need some air…" Harry muttered.

He moved to walk away, but Tom suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist in a steel grip, making Harry tense and flinch. The older Slytherin scowled for a moment and loosened his grip but not yet let go entirely of Harry.

"Sit back down, Harry," Tom ordered in a calm tone.  
"You can't just go out without breakfast. You'll faint in class."

Harry's breathing quickened. Why wasn't he allowed to leave? Was Tom planning something? He needed to get away from him, at least for a little bit so he could get his thoughts back in order.

"I-I need to go," he gasped out.

Tom's brows were furrowed in worry and he stood up as well while the others all looked on with worry. The few others who were already at the breakfast table were all watching them. Harry looked around himself bewildered. He had no idea who he could trust. Any of these students could have chosen to follow Voldemort in another timeline. Maybe they still would. He had no way to tell, especially with two Dark Lords on the loose. Three if you counted Grindelwald.

"Fine," Tom gritted out.  
"But please, promise me you'll see the nurse."

Harry nodded and the grip on his wrist released. He turned on his heels instantly and bolted out of the Great Hall and the judging stares of the other students. The crippling fear was followed by flashes of memories from both his imprisonment at Riddle Manor and Voldemort's resurrection during Harry's 4th year. Cedric was dead because of him…

Old insecurities and worries came back to him against his will. Harry stopped running instantly as he felt a terrible fear creep up on him. He gasped for breath and leaned against the wall with closed eyes. Shaky hands ran over his face and Harry gave a strangles sob. He still loved Tom so much, but he had no idea if he could trust his boyfriend anymore.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up, green eyes wide in panic, but he relaxed when he saw it was Ginny. The red haired girl smiled softly at him and sat down next to Harry, giving a deep sigh.

"You left in a hurry," she noted calmly.

"… Sorry…" Harry whispered, looking down at the ground in shame.

The girl chuckled and grinned at Harry while tucking a strand of her blazing hair behind her ear.

"Don't be," she said.  
"I understand, really."

Harry snorted and pulled his legs up so he could rest his chin on his knees.

"I doubt that," he muttered.

"It may not be the same, but I went through something horrible during my first year," Ginny reminded him.  
"I had nightmares for the longest time and I was so sure I would never get over it at the time. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone ever again. I felt so alone."

Harry looked at her in shock. The whole Chamber of Secrets fiasco had been a horrible experience for everyone involved, including Harry, but he realized with shame that he had never considered just how terrible it must have been for Ginny, who had thought the Diary her friend, someone she could trust. Instead, it had possessed her and forced her to release the Basilisk on other students.

"How did you get over that?" Harry breathed softly, looking at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

"I had a family that loved me and supported me," Ginny replied, sounding slightly amused.  
"Mum, dad, Bill, Charlie, the twins, Ron. Even Percy. They were all there for me and they proved that I could still trust people. I was loved. And so were you."

Harry smiled gratefully at her and he shuffled closer to her. The two friends hugged and for a while, they stayed in each other's embrace like that.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that," Harry murmured in the girl's shoulder.

"Anytime," the redhead chuckled.  
"And if it all really bothers you that much, we just kill Tom and Voldemort would never exist."

This had Harry pull away and he looked at her incredulously.

"I'm just joking," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes.  
"I might not like Tom, but I can see he makes you happy, and I really believe he cares deeply about you."

After a moment's hesitation, Harry nodded his head in understand. Grinning at Harry, Ginny got up and held out her hand to help Harry up as well.

"Let's go to the nurse, so she can do her check-up," Ginny suggested.

"Fine, but I'm not happy about it," Harry sighed, making the girl laugh.

. . . . .

For the next week, Harry slowly seemed to return to himself. He still suffered terrible nightmares every night, though they became less whenever Tom was with him. Harry was still a bit doubtful on whether he could trust Tom, especially whenever he saw those flashes of the cold, Slytherin Prince Tom. Sometimes, he even imagined seeing red eyes on that young, handsome face instead of the dark, midnight blue he loved so much.

His friends, both in Slytherin and Hermione and the Weasleys were very supportive of him, though it sometimes looked like they were walking on eggshells around him, as if they were afraid he would just break down with another panic attack if they so much as mentioned Voldemort or anything related to him and Dark magic. The only ones who still treated him normal were Tom and Ginny, and since he tended to avoid the first, he had gotten a whole lot closer to the latter.

Sirius, while still very wary of Tom, started acting more friendly again, though his mood towards the young Slytherin Heir often reflected Harry's. Whenever Harry found his need to get away from his boyfriend, Sirius formed a protective barrier between the two of them, but he never commented on the times Harry desperately clung to the older teen and just let them be.

The only time Harry could truly let go of his worries and fears was when he was soaring through the air on his broom. Now that he could barely keep his mind to his studies, he turned his attention and focus on Quidditch with a single-minded determination. He was in the Quidditch Pitch as much as possible. He was more focused and passionate than ever during practices, making Walburga glow with pride. Even whenever no practices had been scheduled for any of the for Houses, Harry would go over to the pitch and practice on his own, or just fly around.

Sirius met him there whenever he had time and the two often played a one-on-one. Harry had yet to win any game against his Godfather, but he had gotten incredibly close several time.

At times like these, he felt as if he might just get over it all eventually, and he always left the Pitch in a very light mood, which in turn had Tom smiling too, because Harry never tried to hide from his boyfriend whenever he had stepped off his broom. The two would sit together in the common room and Tom would help Harry catch up with their classes and homework.

. . . . .

It had been two weeks since Harry had woken up in the hospital wing and he had once again woken up after a nightmare about Voldemort. It had felt and looked so real that Harry thought it might have been a vision, but he knew that wasn't possible anymore. He wasn't Voldemort's Horcrux anymore. He was Tom's…

With a sigh, Harry rolled over on his bed and looked at the face of his boyfriend, who was sound asleep next to him, his arm loosely thrown over Harry's waist. Harry furrowed his brow a little. Tom looked so peaceful when he was asleep. It was almost impossible to think about what he's become…

Harry's anxiety slowly rose again, so he buried his face in the older boy's shirt and breathed in the scent that was so Tom. He relaxed again after he had ensured it was still the same boy he loved so much and not the crazed madman who would do anything to ruin Harry's life. He truly did love Tom, and his friends kept ensuring him that the feeling was mutual, but Harry wondered how sure he could be.

His curiosity got the better of him and Harry focused on the Horcrux he could feel at the back of his conscious, gently brushing against it. He could feel it react almost instantly to his touch, making him shiver at the Dark, Seductive lull it send out.

Gaining a bit more confidence, Harry decided to test the link the Horcrux created between him and Tom and he pushed against it some more, trying his best to force it open. For a few moments, it looked like it wouldn't work, but then it gave way and he was flooded with the other's emotions and feelings.

Harry gasped sharply at the intensity of it all. The burning ambition, the anger and overwhelming hatred towards Voldemort, the worry for Harry's well-being… But the most powerful sensations were of love, near bordering on obsession, and the desperate need to protect Harry.

Tears slowly slipped from the time-traveller's eyes and he nuzzled closer into Tom. He loved him. Tom really did love Harry back and now Harry knew that the other would do anything to protect him. It filled his chest with warmth and happiness. How could he have ever doubted Tom? How could he have never realized just how strongly the other felt? It all seemed so obvious in hindsight…

Tom's arms tightened around Harry and he hummed comforting. Startled, Harry looked up, noticing Tom was looking back at him with a soft, loving gaze in his dark eyes.

"I love you, Harry," Tom whispered.  
"Don't ever doubt that, because I will love you for the rest of eternity."

Harry's heart almost stopped at those softly murmured words. He wanted to say them back, but he couldn't find the right words to convey his love and gratitude for the other. Instead of speaking, Harry surged upwards and caught Tom's lips in a passionate kiss while simultaneously throwing everything he felt through the link between him and his lover.

Once he got over his surprise, Tom moaned softly against Harry's lips and reciprocated both the mental and physical exclamations of love. Their feelings mingled and danced together similarly to how their tongues did. It was a silent promise to one another, strengthened by magic, binding them together with in ways beyond their understanding. They would be by each other's sides forever. A love that would survive the eons.

* * *

 **Was meant to be angst only, but the end got incredibly mushy. I just couldn't let poor Harry suffer anymore**

 **…** **for now.**


	49. AN PLEASE READ THIS

**I'm sorry. I know everyone hates Author's Notes, but this is really important, so please give me a chance to explain.**

I have come to a very unfortunate conclusion yesterday, that will likely not sit well with most of you. I realized I can't continue writing my stories.

The reason is actually quite simple: Writing isn't just a hobby to me, it's my life. It's the only real outlet I have. My entire life, I've lived in my head, and that won't ever change. The outside world is only one thing to me, and that is the cause of stress. However, through writing I could open up in ways I never could in any other way and I have been using it since I learned how to write.

I actually still have stories lying around I made when I was seven years old, and I still read them every now and then when I feel particularly nostalgic. But that's not the point.

The point is that I lost that part of myself lately. Over the past couple of months, I've been feeling miserable and strung out and I lost all my will to continue. Writing had become a _cause of stress_ instead of a _stress reliever_. I didn't write what _I_ wanted anymore and instead I started writing what I thought others would want to read.

My stories have become empty to me. They don't fill me with the sense of pride and accomplishment they used to.

I have always told myself that I don't care about what others think of my writing, that I write for _me_ , but that hasn't been the truth in over a year. I started looking for praise to make myself feel better about the hollowness my stories instilled inside me, but all it did in the long run was suck me dry.

I need to rediscover my love for writing again, and that can only be done in one way:

I need to stop posting them. At least for now.

No, this isn't goodbye forever. I'll start posting my stories again eventually, but I can't tell you with certainty when. Maybe it'll take months, maybe it'll take years. All I know is that it won't be soon. I need time to find the meaning of my stories. Of my _Life_.

I hope you can all understand this is important, and that I am not doing this out of spite or anything like that. You have all been nothing but supportive and kind, and I am truly grateful for all you have done for me.

I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you in return.

I **will** come back eventually, but I can't promise I'll come back specifically to this story, so instead, I'll post all of the ideas I had for the continuations of them. Perhaps one day, I'll be able to finish them, or someone else will take them over. These stories I shared with you aren't truly mine anymore anyway. They're _yours_ now.

Please take care of them for me. I put part of my being in them, no matter how small a part it was. I put my heart and soul in every single word I put out for you guys.

I love you, and thank you.


End file.
